You cant embrace someone with folded arms

I have a friend who has a love for the elderly population. She is also seeking Gods will for her life. God has been showing her things and putting people in her path... 

Through one of her churches ministries she finds herself saying yes to helping an elderly couple. The woman is very ill and the man has short term memory loss which makes it necessary for him to have help when he leaves the house.

My friend is happy to help.

She takes the man to the grocery store, list in hand from the wife.

He tells my friend about himself, just a little of his life story: how he lost his short term memory, his first wife leaving the marriage at one point, his inability to drive because of his condition.

He had plans for his life, education, work.. all taken away in the blink of an eye.

He asks my friend why she thinks certain things happen to people. My friend says she believes they are God things. He reaches out patting her arm, pleased by her answer and tells her she is right.

He is pleasant and she enjoys her time with him. He apologizes to her, explaining that he will not remember her name in a minute and wont remember doing this tomorrow. 

She assures him it is okay. She has a warm smile.

She takes him home and he thanks her sincerely for taking him shopping and hopes to see her again. He tells her how much it has meant to him.

She says good bye to his dear wife, who is fearful of what will happen to him when she is gone.

She leaves and cries all the way home. She is overcome by the emotion of this situation and also the blessing of being able to spend some time with this couple. She looks forward to visiting with them again. She blessed them today and yet felt she had been blessed. 

She is loving with open arms. You cant fully embrace anyone with folded arms.

Its like getting a side hug. Really.... don't they leave you kind of disappointed?

She is open to the pain and also the blessing of this situation. 

Life is messy. We make the decisions to get involved and embrace others or to walk away, pretending we don't see the need.

Most of us are pretty good pretenders. 
We become uncomfortable and so we rationalize a desperate situation, to where we believe that we do not need to involve ourselves.. We have practiced this for years, no wonder it comes so naturally.