So what to do............

Imagine that you are contacted by a person from your not so distant past. Someone who helped you through a eminently stressful time (in a professional capacity). Not necessarily a "friend" per se, someone who got paid for their services, but at the same time someone who tweaked your inner radar and felt pretty trustworthy to you. Deal done. 'Nuff said. Fond thoughts about this person, but no invites for dinner of coffee -- no further contact. And that's okay.

Then out of the blue, the person calls. (You recognize the voice immediately but wonder why they would be calling.) Turns out they have had a bit of a stressful time (like yesterday) and they (okay she) is in need of a little counseling. Does my Hubby have any advice as to how she should handle the totaling of her car (car vs. deer) and what should she expect? (The accident happened the night before and it was one of those deals where she could have been killed and she was appropriately freaked a little.) Hmmmm... okay. So she was looking for a little reassurance and possibly some advice.

Since Hubby is no longer involved with vehicle "insurance replacement" and was at work I spent 45 minutes talking her down out of her tree, getting her some information from bluebook.com, and basically explaining what happens when your vehicle gets totaled. The whole what happens next stuff.... She seems to be okay. Through the conversation it comes to light that she is newly divorced though, and has been having a rather difficult time of things. Platitudes are exchanged as well as best wishes. Done.

Then 2 days later a nice thank you note arrives in the mail -- with a "Gee, if you're not too busy could we get together soon and bake cookies (with the girls) or shop/have coffee?" request. And for some reason I am having some pause. I am wondering:

What could I possibly bring to this woman's life?
What is she looking for?
Is this God knocking me on the forehead because I am in a position to offer some constructive help?
Or am I about to get caught up into circumstances that will be detrimental to me or my family?
Am I a bad person for not immediately jumping into the fray?

So there lies the dilemma. My "gut feelings" (usually VERY accurate) have been a tad off of late so any thoughts would be appreciated.........

I am usually so sure of myself -- it is very disquieting to feel so unsure.

Update: Actually, just writing it all down has helped a bunch. If you have thoughts though, feel free to share.