Friends

So it approaches 1 am, and ironically I left some friends a couple of hours ago with the reason that I needed to catch some sleep between that time and my flight which leaves at 6 am, as you can tell I am doing a very good job of following through with that. I just really wanted to express these thoughts...

A new friend is like a diamond in the rough. Yet the more time you spend with them, the more you start to realize their brilliance, their incredible value and beauty that lie beneath the surface of their rough appearance. Reflecting on all the different relationships in my life, God has blessed me with many and diverse friends, and with every single one it starts at this same point. Two people who don't know each other from Adam nor Eve, proceed to become invaluable companions in this game we call life. Without my friends I can honestly say that I would not be here to write this today, I would have lost my mind long ago. Every time I come up with a hair-brained idea, a friend is there to squash it, or sometimes to egg me on, often to our detriment!!! Oh well! In times of sorrow, true friends know just how to be, and in times of joy, their joy can often exceed our own. To use the diamond analogy once more though, the diamond only reflects a unique example of the beauty of the whole creation, in the same way that friendship reflects our relationship with the whole of mankind that flows ultimately from God. Friends truly show us the face of God in our lives, and I am grateful for every single one of you that has ever put up with me. And so I thank you from the very depths of my heart...sending a special saludo y abrazo to those here in New York who have helped sustain me, and for those who have tolerated conversing with me on the telephone. For those I have failed to remain in touch with, I pray that we get to chat soon. Though we cannot all be together at once, I want you all to know that I love you and pray for you as often as I can. God is good, let us show our gratefulness in our relationships with one another.

"No greater love is there than this, to lay down one's life for a friend."

God bless and keep you all.