I was thinking about friendship when I came across this quote that I wanted to share with you.
I was sitting on a beach one summer day, watching two children, a boy and a girl, playing in the sand. They were hard at work building an elaborate sand castle by the water’s edge, with gates and towers and moats and internal passages. Just when they had nearly finished their project, a big wave came along and knocked it down, reducing it to a heap of wet sand.
I expected the children to burst into tears, devastated by what had happened to all their hard work. But they surprised me. Instead, they ran up the shore away from the water, laughing and holding hands, and sat down to build another castle.
I realized that they had taught me an important lesson. All the things in our lives, all the complicated structures we spend so much time and energy creating, are built on sand. Only our relationships to other people endure. Sooner or later, the wave will come along and knock down what we have worked so hard to build up. When that happens, only the person who has somebody’s hand to hold will be able to laugh.
Rabbi Harold Kusher, from “When All You’ve Ever Wanted isn’t Enough.”
In life, if we are fortunate, we start with a few good friends. Then, our circles broaden and expand. We may become closer to some and drift apart from others. Perhaps we had someone we thought was a good friend, but when an emergency came, they disappeared. And sometimes someone may be a dearly dedicated friend when times are tough but disappear when there is cause to celebrate. As life progresses, we often see more clearly who our honest, trustworthy, and loyal friends are. And, as we know, a few good friends are enough to see us through life.
In the Bible, I can think of two examples of friendship:
The first example is Jonathan and David, who promised eternal friendship between their children. (I Samuel 20:42). Jonathan saved David when Johnathan’s father, King Saul, wanted to kill him, even though David was a threat to his inheritance. Second is Ruth and Naomi. Their husbands are dead. Their prospects in Moab are bleak. Naomi returns to Israel and suggests Ruth stay with their families in Moab. She refuses. “Where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge,” she insists. “Your
people shall be my people, and your God my God” (Ruth 1:16). You have all heard the expression, you learn who your friends are when times are tough?
Anybody detained by immigration or the police finds out very quickly who their true friends are: Who will answer your phone call? Who will come to visit? Who helps your family or kids? I remember the fear when I learned my loved on was indicted. And when he went to jail. I learned a valuable lesson then. Too many immigrants have experienced that crisis, and most immigrants still fear getting that call.
Andres “Your Friend” Mejer
P.S. If you want to work with me…. here are three ways we can help:
- Get a copy of my book “Do You Qualify For U.S. Legal Status?.” You’ll discover the 9 principal paths to your Green Card, including U-visa and VAWA. Go here
- Go here Watch our videos. Go into depth about the principal paths to get your Green Card through U-visa or VAWA. Subscribe to our Youtube Channel here and follow our Facebook page to get our weekly content.
- Work with the team one-on-one. If you are ready to start your Green Card journey, you can call 732-962-6233 or go here to schedule a meeting directly with our team.
