TWO BEST FRIENDS

12/14/2018

By ABRAHAM REGUNTA

It was a normal morning at the Collegium. Rachel came rushing into my office and asked me to take a picture of two little boys who visit the Collegium Café almost every day. I took my camera and sat close to where the boys were sitting. I started to observe them and found it quite fascinating as they kept buying something and made sure that they shared whatever they bought. They obviously were enjoying each other’s company.

I greeted them with a big smile. They introduced themselves as Israel and Javier aged 9, and 8 respectively. I asked them if they always share food when they visit the Collegium Cafe. They answered in the positive and said that they love to share, because they are best friends. They told me that they normally buy cookies, noodles, and a smoothie. I asked them how they have been able to embrace the quality of sharing at such a young age? They told me that it is nice to share with someone. They told me that they have been treated with kindness in the Tierra Vida community and have appreciated it. They told me that they have also tried to help others in the community and would continue to do so as it spreads love and solidarity.

It was nice to see these little kids talk about love, sharing and compassion. The way to create a bright future for a nation is through investing wisely in today’s children who grow up with life-giving values and traditions. We are in desperate need for a mindset change in our society. Our priorities have become compromised due to our greed and selfishness. But Israel and Javier give us that glimmer of hope that we cannot go wrong when we invest in the lives of these little ones. And that hope keeps us focused.