Deca-union

I just marked my ten year high school reunion off my calendar. It was great to see old friends and catch up a bit with random acquaintances, too. I must admit, though, that this occurrence caused more reflection than I ever dreamed it would when I was tossing that mortarboard cap into the air, dreaming of college and career.

We all know reunions often lead to games of comparison and nasty hopes that Mr. and Miss Popular have been rightfully knocked down a few notches by real life...or at least by a few wrinkles, pounds, or unruly kiddos. That's not the kind of reflection I'm talking about.

I'm talking about making mental timelines of what I've done and who I've become since departing the halls of BHS. I'm talking serious evaluation of whether or not I'm spending my moments of life in ways that honor the God I love and that help other human souls along in their journey.

Of course the answer to that question is both yes and no. One of my favorite hymns, "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing," has lyrics that always resonate with me: Prone to wander, Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love...  It seems that I daily, weekly, and often monthly wander away from the One I've pledged to love for eternity.

But I always come back. And for that I am glad. I am glad God always takes me back, and I am glad that these ten years of immense, almost constant change have not killed a love that can readily die like any human love is prone to do.

As for life achievements, I think I've fared all right. I got an education -- debt free. I've made new friends and kept old ones. I've gone on missions trips and donated time and money to help others. I got a job in the journalism field and wrote some good stories. I worked for a caterer, a house cleaner, a camp, a greenhouse, a high school, a coffee shop, a government job, a nonprofit organization, a bakery, and a library. I've written three books. I've travelled Europe, Asia, Central America, Alaska, and much of the United States.

I dated an incredible man, but I have not married. Though my 10-year plan in high school included marriage and kids, it hasn't happened. Sometimes I'm okay with that, and sometimes I'm not. It is what it is, and I very much look forward to someday loving somebody in a way that is both giddy, lovey-dovey and seriously self-sacrificing. I feel privileged to have watched so many marry and learn from both their successes and failures.

Anyway, I do not mean to write a wandering laundry list. But I am appreciative of these milemarkers that encourage us to reflect, evaluate, and look ahead. I pray I can meet the next ten years -- and the next ten minutes -- with confidence and joy and gratefulness for every single breath I am given.

Cheers to life!