Elizabeth noticed each time the Indian woman would rise to leave that she would say the exact tsame words. With great curiosity, Elizabeth and her sisters memorized the phrase and quickly found someone who could translate Araucanian for them. When she found out what the Indian woman had said, she was greatly touched and said it was “the nicest compliment ever uttered.” The Indian woman would rise from the table with a smile and say: “I shall come again, for I like myself when I’m near you.”
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could say this about our friends? Sydney Smith (1771-1845) said, “Life is to be fortified by many friendships. To love, and to be loved, is the greatest happiness of existence.”
write by FREDERICK ELLIS