Dying ashes burn again

[proteanmix]

I had a lot of the Bible poured into me when I was younger. I didn't realize until recently how many bible stories I remembered.

I've been able to find some comfort in remembering these scriptures when they filter in and out of my head.

I have six people that I consider true friends. They wouldn't be my friends if I couldn't tell them about me and my life. It wouldn't feel like a substantial friendship if they didn't share about themselves either. We don't bond over shared activities or hobbies. 4 out of 7 of these people don't even live in the same area as me and I see them about once every two years. We have something stronger than shared activities and hobbies to keep us together.

Yeah, this is connected so stay with me.

While I was at work the word "ashes" kept running through my mind. I didn't know why I kept thinking about that word. It was actually spurred by a thread here and something someone said which is totally true. After the word ashes came to my mind, then came these words: friends and comfort.

Ashes, friends, and comfort.

Me being me I types those three words into google. After sifting through random pages I find this Chinese Idiom and a passage from the Book of Job.

Dying ashes burn again.

When Job's three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him. When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him; they began to weep aloud, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads. Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was.

There's so much in I find beautiful and comforting about friendship in that passage.

Thanks google.