Greetings! 

For the founders of WhatFriendsDo, this summer has already been filled with a wide spectrum of emotions and events. We've had some very major celebrations with the completion of medical school residency for one family member and a joyous wedding for another, and the welcoming of a new family member. The ending of the school year brought promotions to the next grade for elementary school children in the family. Mixed in with this, we have many summer birthdays so we've been having and will continue to have parties with cakes, gifts, and favorite foods. In the midst of all these joys we also had a family member with a serious illness. We are the ones receiving the support, encouragement, and help when needed - all the things friends do. Fortunately, with time, the illness is taking less of a toll, celebrations are continuing, and life is returning to normal.

We'd like to share some of our favorite July celebrations with you, to give you ideas of how you can help your friends keep some normalcy in their lives as they go through a challenge in their life. 

Here are a few of our favorite ideas at WhatFriendsDo:

• Host a cupcake decorating party
• Make a special scrapbook for a friend in need.
• Create a book club with friends.

Today we honor the birthday of Laura Crawley, a young lady who was very special to our family. Laura didn't get to celebrate nearly enough birthdays, but she will forever be celebrated by so many people with joyful memories. Her life was a gift to many.