Would you hear the " I need you"

I was watching a repeat of "Sex and the City" last night, the episode where Miranda's mother dies of a heart attack, and the girls and ex boyfriends all go to the funeral, because they know Miranda need them, but she does not ask for them to come. It is very touching and moving to see Miranda's relief when Carrie steps up to give her a shoulder to lean on at the funeral procession. The episode started me wondering...
As human beings, we have subconscious ability to recognize when our fellow humans are in need; sometimes they ask for help, sometimes they don't. The question is, would you know if someone was asking you for help?
Think about it, how many times have you looked back on a situation and thought to yourself, I should have offered that person a ride, I should have had that neighbor over for a dinner, I should have called that friend up a month ago, etc. Or you thought, "jeez, I wish I could do something for , but s/he said s/he was o.k....."
I know when my coworker's dad died, I didn't know what to do, what to offer, especially since I am not an overtly emotional person. Giving her a hug of support felt like an awkward thing to do at the time, but a few months later when my dear uncle passed, I knew that was what I desperately needed from someone and that she probably did as well.
What about that young mother with her 4 kids who seems to never get out of the house with out at least 3 of them with her - how about offering to watch ALL of them for 2 hours so she can go to the store alone? It's not much to you, but to her, it is.
I remember when hubby went away for 4 months. My neighbors all said they would give me a hand, I just had to give them a call. Sad thing was, I never called any of them. I needed a hand, desperately, but I was too proud (?) to ask. Now if someone had come to my door and said, "hey leave Jman with my son and my hubby, we're going to the movies", I would have had tears of appreciation in my eyes as I handed over my child and went out the door.
So, one of my resolutions for my life is to be more aware of my fellow human beings, to appreciate what I have and to share with my fellow human beings. Case in point, my dear friend whose husband got laid off, we were shopping at Target for household stuff. Instead of asking her if she wanted to stop for a coffee at the Starbucks kiosk, I told her I was getting coffee and wanted to treat her. I know she would have said "no" to getting the coffee since it is an expense she can not afford right now, but I also know it is a treat that she did appreciate having.
It's a little thing, but it brought some happiness, and that was what I was hoping to achieve.