Day 22: Reunion

Back in the 70's I spent a total of 35 months living here in Orange, CA. That encompassed a year and a half of high school, the summer after my senior year of high school and the first 14 months of our marriage. (Gail was with me during that last stint...) Not a lot of time but some of the best time in my ever increasing lifetime.

For me those 18 months during 10th and 11th grades were the time God used to do more shaping and molding in my young spiritual life than any other. And the relationships I made then with other kids who were also discovering life in Christ in a very powerful way have been lifelong and deep. So for me to come back here, even almost 40 years later, always sparks memories that bring me great joy.

For Gail and I it was where we spent that first year of marriage that is so crucial. To me, moving to California from VA a week after saying "I do" was like going home. She had never been here before and knew only a couple of people here. And it was far away from the hometown where she had lived her whole life. But she fell in love with it as well and loves to return almost as much as I do.

Tonight we were privileged to gather with a house full of some of those very special people who were such great friends back in the day. We still maintain contact with them via Facebook and email and the occasional visit. It was a lot of fun catching up. Now many of us are grandparents!And there was the openness of sharing what was going on in our lives that can only be shared with people you trust and love. Before we left we had a time of prayer together that was extra special, like the cherry on top of the sundae.

This is what makes the church so powerful in our lives. The relationships represented tonight were forged in a church decades ago. We were brought together by God, most of us as teenagers, and still love to be together. Those kinds of friendships are eternal. That church, that we loved so much no longer exists as a church. But tonight, in a small way, it came back to life. And even though we have all gone different directions and many of us are scattered across the country, the Spirit that united us still lives within us.

It was so good to see them all again. I can't wait for the next time. Tonight was, indeed, dress rehearsal for eternity. Isn't that what every gathering of the church should be?

If only I had remembered to take some pictures!

Gail here - We have been on the road for 3 weeks and the cold weather has followed us everywhere. Today, for the first time, I kicked off my shoes, and sat out in the sun for a few hours. You can sit out in the sun here and not sweat! It was wonderful! Longing for Spring.