Last week while listening to a song by Bill Withers, I was reminded we all need someone every day of our life.

Withers wrote, “You just call on me brother, when you need a friend. We all need somebody to lean on.”

I have heard that song many times in my life, but it seemed those words hit me as to how true they were this week.

People need others in life. We are all needy, and some people seem to be needier than others.

Levels of neediness often come from the way their parents raised them, whether their parents taught them to be independent, which I realized as a young child when I went to church camp.

I saw children who cried and wanted to go home while others, like myself, wished they could stay longer at camp.

Some children needed their mom or were attached more than others, which showed through in participating in the camp activities. Some had not been taught to branch out and try new things. When someone took their hand and helped them get through, they seemed happy they had learned something new.

However, we all need to lean on others at various points in our life. If I did not have my friends and family in my life, I wonder if I would have made it through the difficult times.

I survived because of the prayers of my friends, family and my relationship with God.

God places different people into your life at different times to help you get through the hard times.

You do not have to lean on the same people all the time.

As the song says, “Sometimes in our lives, we all have pain, we all have sorrow, but if we are wise, we know that there’s always tomorrow. Lean on me, when you’re not strong, and I’ll be your friend.”

It goes on to say it wouldn’t be long before he would need someone on whom to lean.

None of us can get through life alone. Even as an infant we begin our life needing nurturing and love.

Babies who get the love they need will thrive more often than those who do not. My grandson, Simon, is a living example. With all he had going against him when he came into this world, he may not have survived.

Without the loving care his parents gave him and the many prayers that were given up on his behalf he and his parents would have had a harder time.

As bleak as their world seemed, they always looked for a tomorrow and kept hope in their mind.

Even now, they have a sense of others praying for them daily helping them get through each day.

The song seemed to reach into the core of our being.

It mentions there are times in your life during which your pride can get in the way of talking to someone.

Withers says no one can fill your needs if they don’t know about your needs. Do not let your pride stifle your need for help.

If people would be more open to others, there would be fewer suicides in the world.

Withers lets the person who needs him at the time not feel bad because they may be the person he needs to talk to or lean on sometime in his life.

He wrote, “We all need somebody to lean on. I just might have a problem that you’ll understand, We all need somebody to lean on.”

We all need to feel loved by others.

Sometimes we may need a listening ear or a smile. Someone may need a ride to the doctor.

I have a friend who gives of herself so much by doing this. When I brag on her, she always says, “I was just glad I was able to do it.”

She is a friend on whom I can depend and she can always lean on me. I felt happy one day two weeks ago when she called to ask me to pray for her since she would be making a big decision in her life. That was a way she knew she could lean on me.

There are people in my life that I call when I need prayer for members of my family. There have been people throughout my life that have responded to my needs many times, and for them I am grateful.

Never feel burdened when you help someone out but be glad you could lighten someone’s load by knowing they could depend on you no matter how small or big it is.

Ronnie Devary’s family, who has been burdened since the day after Christmas when Ronnie was hit by a car, thrown into a creek and airlifted to a Lexington where he has been a patient in two hospitals and now in a rehab program, have leaned on the prayers of their friends and still need prayers.

He is proof prayer works since he has begun to speak words. Last week, he said 60 words. For a long time, his family did not know if he would regain consciousness. For him to begin talking speaks volumes.

He still has a long way to go, and the family needs to lean on us through our prayers, our words of encouragement and hope for a better tomorrow.

Ronnie has survived with that hope and the love of many friends, along with his family. They were smart enough to know they needed to lean on somebody.

They are not alone, we all need to lean on somebody. Remember you may not need to lean on somebody today but tomorrow is another day.

If you need to lean on someone, I will be your friend because I, too, may need to lean on you.

Sue Staton is a Clark County native who grew up in the Kiddville area. She is a wife, mother and grandmother who is active in her church, First United Methodist Church, and her homemakers group, Towne and Country Homemakers.