A "Lost Boy" experiece

Last night as we watched the opening ceremonies for the Olympics, I was awed and inspired. Not by the magnificent fireworks show, or the Chinese pageantry. It was the young man carrying the U.S. flag into the "Bird's Nest" for our Olympic team. He was a Sudanese "Lost Boy", now an American citizen and given such an honor. He reminded me of what our country was built on, built by and created for: the Immigrant.
My mother became a citizen of the U.S. last September. While we sat together waiting for the ceremony to begin, a young black man came and sat near us (my mother, sister and two friends). He was the only one completely by himself. I smiled at him, but didn't think to much about it. As the officials put all the "new to be citizens" in place, he sat beside Mom. So he was in the pictures because he was beside her. As they read each name, they also read the country of origin. This young man was from Sudan. I suddenly realized why he was there by himself: there was no one to be there with him. My smile was no longer enough. After the ceremony, I went up to him to congratulated him. He gave me a big smile and thank you, then quietly left the room.
As I watched the athlete last night, I thought of the young man from Mom's ceremony. How much I have "wallowed" in sorrow over my problems instead of looking forward, or making something good come of my problems. And yet, here are young men whom everything has been taken away from them, and yet the "Lost Boys" have moved on, created new lives for themselves, and even become an Olympic athlete.
Most of us will never know what it is truly like to have nothing. We don't have to struggle, just to literally survive. I am awed and inspired by all those strong immigrants who have truly made our country one of the greatest places in the world to live.