You Haven't Lost It!
Last weekend, we spent time with some of our best friends, B.C. (before children). The last time we saw each other, our older daughter was a baby - 23 years ago. Now, we all feel the same on the inside, but our hair has changed color or fallen out, our bodies ache, sometimes we forget the one word we need, to say what we want to say, or we repeat something we said 30 minutes ago...and the "dad jokes" are ever-flowing. But we remember mutual friends, the same old songs, the same movies and favorite bands, and we remember each other, as those young adults with a lot of life ahead of them. We connect on the same levels and we have the same grace for each other.
It was fun to re-connect, to catch up on the life we've lived, the life we're presently in, and what we're anticipating in the near future. It was as if a lifetime had passed, yet no time at all; we were all different, yet no one had changed.
At one point after a forgetful moment, my friend said, "I've lost it." A few seconds ticked by, then she said, "I'm not sure I ever had it!" We laughed. Then I said, "I know you had it, because I was there! We all had it."
It's good to have friends who know you did actually have "it" at one time. Back then we had fun together, we were younger, thinner, sharper, more energetic, and healthier. But we hadn't lived in different parts of the country, known a variety of people and learned to appreciate our differences, raised children from newborn to adulthood, experienced job changes and mountains and valleys, endured illnesses and loss of parents, and learned lesson after lesson, sometimes the same one a few times.
So I've decided nobody has lost "it," in the sense of becoming less of the version of ourselves that we were 20+ years ago. Quite the opposite, we've added to that person with each experience, each lesson, each relationship that has impacted who we are. Letting God transform us into wiser, more patient, kind, loving, forgiving, understanding versions of ourselves is more important than having a ready recollection of every word in our vocabulary, or non-arthritic knees.
I suppose if we are to "lose" something, we should work toward letting go of fear, hurt, anger, blame and shame. In an ideal world, right? A few small steps toward that goal can take a lifetime. But we can be better versions of ourselves by focusing not on what we've "lost," but the baggage we could stand to eliminate, the growing we still have to do, and gratitude for the opportunity in each new day. Just the awareness of that and our presence of mind wherever we are in life, will add to the rich and full experience we were intended to have, and the confidence that our time here is well-spent.
"Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures...My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. Jn. 10:9-10
It was fun to re-connect, to catch up on the life we've lived, the life we're presently in, and what we're anticipating in the near future. It was as if a lifetime had passed, yet no time at all; we were all different, yet no one had changed.
At one point after a forgetful moment, my friend said, "I've lost it." A few seconds ticked by, then she said, "I'm not sure I ever had it!" We laughed. Then I said, "I know you had it, because I was there! We all had it."
It's good to have friends who know you did actually have "it" at one time. Back then we had fun together, we were younger, thinner, sharper, more energetic, and healthier. But we hadn't lived in different parts of the country, known a variety of people and learned to appreciate our differences, raised children from newborn to adulthood, experienced job changes and mountains and valleys, endured illnesses and loss of parents, and learned lesson after lesson, sometimes the same one a few times.
So I've decided nobody has lost "it," in the sense of becoming less of the version of ourselves that we were 20+ years ago. Quite the opposite, we've added to that person with each experience, each lesson, each relationship that has impacted who we are. Letting God transform us into wiser, more patient, kind, loving, forgiving, understanding versions of ourselves is more important than having a ready recollection of every word in our vocabulary, or non-arthritic knees.
I suppose if we are to "lose" something, we should work toward letting go of fear, hurt, anger, blame and shame. In an ideal world, right? A few small steps toward that goal can take a lifetime. But we can be better versions of ourselves by focusing not on what we've "lost," but the baggage we could stand to eliminate, the growing we still have to do, and gratitude for the opportunity in each new day. Just the awareness of that and our presence of mind wherever we are in life, will add to the rich and full experience we were intended to have, and the confidence that our time here is well-spent.
"Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures...My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. Jn. 10:9-10
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| Photo by John Moeses Bauan on Unsplash |
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