too busy...

Sometimes in life...well, most times in life, we get too busy to notice the chaos of insanity protuding all around us in the lives of those we love.
This morning, and my heart still aches, I awoke to a message from a friend that I have had for a very long time...she opened her heart to me. She is angry with me, she is frustrated and just plain upset. She is living in the midst of a family tragedy and I didn't know. She is wearing pain everyday and I haven't acknowledged it.
No, I am not writing this to explain my side, nor excuse my stupidity. I am just sorry. My life has become too busy. When we are unable to see the pain of others, to notice the sorrow in their lives, we have no choice but to slow down. Even if we only see them through the eyes of virtual reading glasses, we must still pay attention. Even if our only encounters are by way of cyber-space, we must still take a deep breath and notice their lives.
I have no excuse...being too busy is not an excuse, well, not a good one. She has always been a special person to me, a person that has held a dear place in my life since, well for more than 15 years.
Through her pain, I am praying for her and her family. She is a precious person, always has been and always will be, to me and I know to anyone who has the honor to call her 'friend'.