Reflecting upon our lives and actions

If you think back over the past 17 years of your life, what are you thinking as highlights? Now if you don’t like the number 17, may I suggest you consider any number you’d like, but think about the past and it’s influence on your life. Decisions are a difficult position to reach. Some will say just make a choice, and go with it, others will suggest do nothing if you are unsure, while still some might recommend do just a little and see if you like it.
High School days seem so important during that time, but how many high school friends do you still communicate with? I have only a few that I communicate with, but many I liked and many I would like to hang out with again, but that planning hasn’t started yet. When I think of things from high school, I think of the day we honored our retiring principal, James A Pursifull. That was a good thing then and even today, I am glad that happened.
College friends, I have about the same number of folks I communicate with regularly, and some because of our careers and professions we remain in contact still.
Graduate School produced about the same numbers, but the acquaintances and network of friends is larger and it seems more appropriate to just speak to those friends when you get the chance. It’s those high school friends and even grade school friends that you seem to miss the most. It could be this way because we don’t know where many of them are, we’ve lost touch as the years have passed. At least this is true for those that moved away, spent time in the service or found themselves setting up shop in another location, just not at home.
Of all the relationship we have enjoyed, have memories of, and remain with today, one factor I believe is true for all of these depend on the genuineness of what we shared when we had the time. Mark D. Sharp was one of my best friends in high school and his death in the summer of 1983, along with his cousin Thomas Southerland and Frank Hood, had an impact on my life I still reflect upon. I am thankful today that I was real then and honest in friendship. Moments like those speak to all of us if we listen and respond after letting our reactions pass.
Every generation has these situations. For me, having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ has made a difference that has totally affected my responses. Jesus lived a short life, but made a profound impact because of His actions toward others. The difference he made because He forgave. The difference He made because of His approach to decisions regarding people. The stories He shared and the difference He made simply because He walked down the road with folks.
We have a lot of decisions to make and we have already started the course and the way history will reflect upon our actions. I pray as we each consider the different framing of the years of our lives, time will tell we did it right.

Until then