Last Weekend

Maybe like me as the decades go by, you have become more intentional about how and where you spend your time. The memories we create will become our bed partners for seasons to come. I recently read a comment that made smile – ‘memories have huge staying power…surviving decades in the deep waters of our minds’. They truly don’t leave that easily. Memories have a way of visiting our hearts and minds at a time they are so needed. Last weekend our high school graduating class added some unforgettable moments to our treasure chest of memories. It was one that will be hard to forget.

I’ve capture the perfectly imperfect moments. This is who we are. I’d like to think that this was a divine act – that God knew there would be a day when we would need these moments. Most of us met in 1978 and many of us had not seen each other for over 40 years. Of course there were crazy moments. Truthfully, our personalities haven’t changed that much. We don’t pretend that we have it all together. Honestly, there have been days where we’ve had to talk to ourselves and then respond. We are not crazy – we are just perfectly imperfect people navigating this convoluted world the best way we know how by God’s grace.

There have been times when we fell short. We can tell stories of pain, chaos, loss and unmet desires. Dreams that have fallen along the wayside, unrealized expectations, miscarriage of plans and betrayal trauma. What you see here are the faces of those who have chosen to rise despite the acridity that invades our space at times. Many of us can speak to the moments we have had to dig deep to find the strength to stand and even walk again after being bowled over by life and its twists and turns. So often we find ourselves being held in the arms of a Father who never drops His children. Our faith has led us through the darkest of moments. Because of this, last weekend we laughed, we hugged and we remembered. We savored the moments. We also found time to let go of stuff and allowed the needed healing to begin.

We traveled near and far to get our fill of this slice of time. To make deposits that we can withdraw, on those tough days when happiness may want to take flight. When our storehouses get dried up for a moment. The days when we may need to water the space around us with a little joy and laughter.

There are a lot of lonely people in our world. We are blessed to be gifted with these moments in time to talk, catch up and share parts of our hearts. Many of these conversations will forever be etched in our memories. And so we use our words to encourage, support, remind and re-connect.

Make the moments count – let them matter. Breathe in each minute and stay present from a place of gratitude. We thank God that in His plan He saw it fit to give us each other. From that ‘school on the hill’ where hearts and lives connected to today – we continue to strengthen our bonds and look forward to many more ‘ last weekends’.

‘The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning.’ [ Lamentations 3:22-23]