Still Having a Blast (with friends from the past)

This is a much-anticipated day for a group of women affectionately self identified as “Hilltoppers.”  Hilltop was the house that most of us lived in during our senior year in college.  It was a dump.  We had a blast.  This weekend is our annual reunion.  We’ve upgraded our accommodations considerably, but we’ll still have a blast.

Except for the four years we spent together in school, we have all lived our lives in very different geographical and vocational territories, and we don’t get together often.  No matter; we’ll pick up right where we left off last year.  We have, of course, grown in many ways since our Hilltop days (good thing!), yet we are in essence the same people we’ve always been.  There is no need for pretense and no cause for pride.  It’s very liberating.

I could write about how much I learn from my friends, or about how each dyad (interpersonal communication speak for a relationship of two) is a unique entity in itself, or how I better understand other people and myself as I see life reflected in my friends.  We could marvel at the “random” circumstances that spark life-long friendships and  then how those relationships can inspire closer connections to God.   I could write about all of that, but my focus is a little lacking this morning, and I have some packing to do.

Today, I am simply thankful for friends, whether we’ve known each other for many years or for just a few months, and for weekends that refresh my soul.