By Deborah Easton

It’s becoming quite a common story. As best friends, you thought you’d been through it all together. Suddenly life deals your best friend a devastating blow in the form of a job loss.

Months go by as you watch her go through her savings, emergency funds and finally, her retirement money. As much as you and the other girls wish you could ease her financial burden, sadly, that’s not possible. You’ve got your hands full with your own monthly obligations.

So what can you do?

After a lengthy lay off, even the smallest gesture can mean the world to a friend in need.

LISTEN:
Give the gift of being a willing ear and shoulder to cry on. Acknowledge her concerns while bolstering her confidence. Remind her of how strong she is and encourage her by letting her know what a good job you think she’s doing. Girlfriends can’t take the place of a mate, but they can take up some of the emotional slack.

CREATIVE GIFTING AND SHARING:
Sharing doesn’t always mean writing a check or giving cash you don’t have to spare. Little gestures can mean a great deal. It’s great to get your friends out for a good time but sometimes buying drinks may not be the best way to go. Why not grab a few of your mutual friends and buy a couple of bottles of wine. Have a few laughs and girlfriend time while enjoying one bottle together. Gift her with the other to enjoy at her leisure. It’s amazing how a bubble bath and a glass of wine can lift sagging spirits. Not having money to spare for frivolous things like wine or other little special items makes being out of work even harder to bear.

Between you and the other girls, make sure to help her keep up her spirits byhelping her to keep herself up. Alternate taking turns of treating her to a manicure and pedicure at the neighborhood spa. If you can’t afford to treat her to both, give her a choice. Nothing restores a girl’s confidence like feeling good about her appearance.

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Yea! The primary’s are over, the conventions are complete, and election season is finally winding down. I can’t wait until November so I can vote and not have to endure cheesy political ads or another silent home visit with my family. I stay silent because

when it comes to politics, we are a house divided. My parents are republicans, I’m a democrat, and my husband is what I like to call “person-centered”. Meaning his political views consists of researching all sides and then picking the person that he feels is the best for the job, regardless of party.

Over the years, I believe we’ve come to learn that if we want to go on as a happy and loving family, then we need to not only choose our words wisely, but sometimes we need to just be quiet as well. Then again- every so often I like to spice things up by e-mailing or texting my parents a link to news articles or nonpartisan political fact checking groups, and alas the debate begins again!

I’m pretty sure we’ve all heard our share of less than favorable words from both sides. Yet, I wonder how many households are up in arms with a verbal smack-down over politics.

Take my own family and life experiences for example. As I’ve said above, I’m a democrat and my husband is “person-centered”, however I grew up in an old testament Christian, strict, and republican home. Each year growing up we supported the Republican Presidential nominee it seemed like with no questions asked. Signs went up on the front yard and bumper stickers plastered my parents’ cars. Moreover, I remember that there were three subjects that we never discussed, dare said in the home- abortion, gay marriage, and tax increases. In fact, today, my dad is still unapologetically republican while my mom spouts that she’s done with both sides and is not even sure if she’s an independent (lol- gotta love moms!).

I really didn’t form a political view of my own until I went off to college. I attended the historic Howard University (the REAL HU!) in Washington, DC (the epicenter of politics) so you can imagine what a transformational experience that was for me. In fact, in some instances as I reflect, it was pure liberation.

I registered to vote and started to research political parties and politicians across the board. I had political debates with friends in the caf’ and attended numerous political informational rallies. Yet, I guess what really sealed the deal is when I was getting ready to graduate college during the 2008 presidential election, I remember predicting that the then Senator Barack Obama was going to be President (don’t believe me- just as Ray Baker and my former journalism professor Peggy Lewis).

It was a heated debate, all about the democratic nomination- Barack vs. Hillary. Then to add fuel to the already political fire storm brewing on campus, that weekend Dr. Michael Eric Dyson came to speak in chapel. If you are familiar with Dr. Dyson you already know his words are commanding and colorful. Needless to say- he too had a few choice words about the election of our first African American President and African Americans today. Finally, I remember having dinner with Rev. Marcia Dyson (Rev. Dr. Michael Eric Dyson’s wife), Jacqueline Jackson (Rev. Jessie Jackson’s wife) and my role model- the inspiring Iyanla Vanzant. It was an incredible experience that gave me more insight into the election process, but also gave me a chance to observe how we can sincerely make positive changes by coming together for what we believe in.

All in all, I found my political voice and now as a registered voter and mother of 2 under 2, being actively engaged in the political process is an amazing honor and privilege. Additionally, as a woman and an African American, having the right to vote is a responsibility that I don’t take lightly because I owe it to those who came before me who bled and died for me to have this right. Moreover, I hope to be a positive example for my kids and my community to be involved in the political process… who knows what their political journeys are going to be like. So in short, I encourage you all to spark a friendly debate about politics within your own family, quiz each other on what you know, challenge the myths, and be open to views unlike your own. Above all, register to vote if you have not already, educate yourself on all sides and don’t be afraid to support what matters the most to your household.

Two attendees at the Republican National Convention were thrown out of the convention center in Tampa on Tuesday after throwing nuts at a black CNN camerawoman and saying, “this is how we feed the animals.”