On Saturday afternoon I went to see The Soloist. It's a movie about a newspaper reporter, Steve Lopez, and a homeless man, Nathaniel A Ayres. Steve is looking for a story and stumbles upon Nathaniel playing a 2 stringed violin beneath a statue of Ludwig Van Bethoven in LA. As Steve researches Nathaniel's life a much deeper story unravels. A lot happens to both of them over the course of many months. At one point Steve thinks he can't handle his relationship with Nathaniel anymore and a bold person points out, "You CANNOT underestimate the power of being a friend."
I have thought about this quote a lot since Saturday. I have friends in so many stages of life. In so many stages of emotional stability. In many stages of spiritual maturity. But I am BLESSED with many, many friends. It breaks my heart to know there are so many people who walk around day after day without ever having a positive interaction with another human being. What must that be like? How does someone without anybody else get up day after day? They are made of greater stuff than I because I don't think I could do it.
So, if you are my friend, thank you. I love you deeply.
If you are randomly reading this blog and you don't have that deep interaction with another person and you are without any friends, please know that as I have written this, I have prayed for you. I have prayed that God will bless you with friends.
You have been my friend. That in itself is a tremendous thing. I wove my webs for you because I liked you. After all, what’s a life, anyway? We’re born, we live a little while, we die. A spider’s life can’t help being something of a mess, with all this trapping and eating flies. By helping you, perhaps I was trying to lift up my life a trifle. Heaven knows anyone’s life can stand a little of that.
Charlotte, in “Charlotte’s Web”
My father always used to say that when you die, if you've got five real friends, then you've had a great life.
Lee Iacoca
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