Inspirational Quotes

'Everything will be OK in the end. If it's not OK, it's not the end.'
My little sister once gave me a book made of leaves and recycled paper. It's lovely. In this book she had written quotes to help me through life; for times when things get tough, guidance in general, even things to remember when you're ridiculously happy.
I tell you this because I was reading it last night and basically opened it at a random page to read the above. I thought this was quite apt for my life at the moment. There are people who I care about and love (in some cases) who are going through a...bad patch. This is where I find life to be VERY hard. I'm usually the optimistic, happy-go-lucky sort of fella who barely lets badness break his gait. But when you see people around you in trouble or not happy it becomes hard to keep this positive focus. You can feel pretty helpless and downright useless to be honest because in these cases there is generally nothing you can do to help. You can't make that difference that will help them along the way.
This is true. However, there are some things that you don't realise you're doing that make the world of difference to the people going through a tricky part in their lives. You don't realise the profound affect you can have on people by simply giving them space, bringing them a beer, talking about ANYTHING that's not related to what they're going through. These things (that may seem pointless to you) actually make people feel as if things are on the up. For that briefest moment things are ok. I want to refer to a film called The Shawshank Redemption. At one point the protagonist, Andy, manages to get the head 'screw' to provide a few beers for his co-workers as they tar a roof. He sits there with a smile on his face because he knows that in that moment 'with the sun on our faces and an ice cold beer in our hands...we felt free.'
So, to the point. When I started this the point was to share a few Inspirational Quotes with you. But it seems I have been giving a pep-talk on how to deal with people who are having troubles. Simply be there and talk. Be there and listen. Be there and give a break to what may seem an endless tunnel with no light for the person you're with.
You never know, you may make a difference simply by sitting in silence. It seems like a small thing in an ocean of troubles but, as Mother Teresa said:
'The ocean is made up of little drops.'