I'm feeling my age this weekend. LOL Along with the fact that my age keeps going on a rapid rise towards 40 (yikes!), I attended Parkview Adventist Academy's graduation this past weekend.

I had a delightful time, actually! Aside from the fact that we are all 20 years (give or take) older and a few of us were missing, relationships have changed and we bring along a gaggle of younger children, our old high school gang was (mostly) gathered together and enjoying a reunion of sorts. Two of our old group had children graduating from high school. ACH! I can't believe that enough time has passed for "our" children to passing into that age-old ceremony from childhood to adulthood. Wow. How many years have passed since we celebrated that end of an era, step into responsibility, freedom filled moment? For me, 19 years already. Enough years that, if I had married and had children young, my kids could have been up there today.

I don't wish my life to be different though. My life, my family is where God has chosen me to be, and there is no better place than that. It allows me to age slowly, gracefully? :) Allow me my fantasy. :)

It was a beautiful weekend, filled with remembrances of happy and sad times, relationships and life when we were young and fairly care-free. When we formed those lifelong friendships that transcend time and location to survive, whether we see each other once a year, once a month, once a decade, those friendships spring up and we are instantly bonded and having fun. It is something that I am grateful for.

Truth is, everywhere I go I have the opportunity to make lifelong, lasting friendships with people. When God puts us somewhere, He intends for us to use the desire and ability He gave us to interact with people, to impact their lives and to draw them to Him. There is one man from our long-ago group that especially did that for me. He heard the Spirit speak to him and listened. He sat down with me one day and made very clear to me how much God loved me. I felt God wrap His arms around me during the course of that conversation and that moment in time has saved my sanity, my life and my soul on many occasions.

What of you? Are you listening to that still, small voice? Are you sharing the light and love of Christ through your words and actions every day? You never know when that moment in time will be a life altering moment for someone else - or even for you one day.

God is an amazing God. I thank Him for the gift of relationships, for the gift of lifelong friendships and the ability to have memories of yesteryears to enjoy and to relive every now and then. I am thankful for this past weekend. What a delight to be able to walk down memory lane and come out with a smile on my face.