reunion month

this has nothing to do with a high school or college reunion that i may have upcoming...actually this would be my 15 year high school and 10 year college year...oh my.

nope, rather, lately i have been in a place where i am being tormented by nostalgia; imprisoned by it; beat up by it...and it is quite a strange place to be. on the one hand it has been kind of enjoyable journeying down, "memory lane," so-to-speak; on the other hand it has been somewhat painful as well. i'm not sure how many of you are familiar with facebook (it is a, "social utility that connects you with the people around you"). it does not carry nearly the sketch factor that myspace does. i started an account initially because it was a great way to stay connected with kids to whom i minister...within the past year, though, it seems that more and more of more of my friends (ie -people closer to my age) are catching on (which is actually great because now i'm not 'that guy' who is old[er] and is 'friends' on facebook with a bunch of high school kids).

all that to say that the past couple of months my life has been one big reunion. it seems like a couple times a week i either find someone (on facebook) that i haven't talked to in years, or get a 'friend request' by someone who fits the same description. i have so enjoyed reconnecting with people that meant so much to me at one point in my life, but have lost touch with over the years. so when i say that i have been shackled by nostalgia, i mean this: all of this reconnecting has brought me to a place of spending a great deal of time thinking about the 'old days' and all that they were. i have thought a great deal about the people who were a part of those times in my life (i would venture to say both high school and college, for i've reconnected with people from both). i have thought about the things i thought i knew then, the things i learned about myself, about others, about jesus-during those times in my life...and here's the kicker; this is what has been so strange about the past couple of weeks-i find that i am STILL learning from these people that have meant so much to me over the years. as i have spent time recently in such a state of reflection, it has given me time to think about who i was at that time in my life, and how i related to the people in my life at that time. and this is where i find i am still learning. reflection can be difficult, but i think the Lord can use it to bring to light things He has maybe wanted us to learn for a long time. this is where i find myself and it's not such a bad place to be...

more on this later.
blessings-v