I wonder if you have heard about some interesting pending mergers. They are being widely marketed in all our news services. In fact, those sites are urging those with money to get in on the ground floor and be ready to reap the financial windfall later. Those mergers are catching some the financial gurus by surprise. Based on some “insiders’ information,” you too should keep your eyes out for these consolidations:

            3M may merge with Goodyear and become: MMM GOOD.

            Fed Ex may join UPS and become: FEDUP.

            Grey Poupon and Docker Pants may become: POUPONPANTS.

Skipping my vain attempt at humor, some mergers are very helpful. I am especially drawn to linguistic mergers…where one word is added to another and there is an important new concept illustrated.

One such “merger” is found in the Greek word for encouragement. It is “paraklesis” in the noun form and “parakaleo” as a verb. Literally it is the combining of the two words “para” meaning to come along side and “kaleo” meaning to call. It is the act of being called alongside one another.

A while back, there was an excellent example of this “coming alongside someone” concept. There was a pod of dolphins off the coast and film crew caught them caring for their own. It seems that a dolphin was ill and could not swim unassisted. So, several other dolphins tucked themselves along the side of the sick one, carrying him/her along until health returned.

They were called alongside (“parakaleo”) to help.

In our “people world,” there are a lot of people who are limping along right now. Health issues abound, folks are losing their jobs, depression seems to attack like the common cold.

As we start this new year, it is time for us to embrace this concept of encouragement and pass it along. Let’s stop this week and think of someone who can’t quite make it on their own right now. And then let’s slip in alongside them.

Maybe we buy them some groceries and just drop them off without any fanfare. Or maybe we just “borrow” their children for a few hours, giving them a much-needed break. Or maybe we grab a vacuum cleaner and give their house a once over. Or maybe we could wash their car for them (and clear out all the trash).

There are so many different ways we can come along side. Enjoy the swim!