My friend kept coming after I stopped being good company

Dear Delyara, After my husband died, I became terrible company. I cancelled plans, repeated the same stories, became irritated when people tried to cheer me up and hurt when they stopped trying. Most friendships understandably became quieter. My friend Nadia kept coming every Thursday. Sometimes we talked. Sometimes she folded laundry while I stared at television. Once, I told her she did not have to keep visiting. She said, “I know. That’s why it counts.” Today marks three years since my husband died. Nadia came with coffee and no flowers because I once told her anniversary flowers make the house feel like a funeral home. We walked for an hour and talked mostly about her terrible boss. Gratitude is having one person who allowed grief to make me repetitive, dull, angry, and still worth putting on the calendar.