Into the Fire

With recent associations from way back in the past, it's been a time of fond remembrances for me.

After graduating from high school, I attended the University of Washington for my freshman year and took mostly literature and writing classes. The typical Psychology 101, a basic math, and English class were thrown in, but the highlight of the school year was securing an A in my Playwriting class.

However, the true pleasure of that university experience occurred when two of my friends and I met four guys who were musicians – and students. We became good friends for a season of life when the Viet Nam war shadowed and raged in the background until the school year and the following summer concluded and two of those friends enlisted. Thankfully, they returned after their individual stints in the service, but of course by then life was different for all of us. We reunited briefly and all went on our separate life journeys.

After that school year, I went to work full time to save for a trip to Europe inspired to meet a British movie star. Crazy, I know. 

I met a young man sometime before I left for that nearly three month trip and wrote him a few postcards from London, Brussels, and Sion. To discover those postcards were still in his possession this many years later? Priceless.

To find one of our old friends from that summer of '67 on Facebook? Aahh, nostalgia.

Mortality looms. Memories can be invigorating or devastating. I own some of both. These, though, are sweet.

Lord, you've been gracious to me my entire life. So many gifts. So many amazing people. So much love. No way I can ever thank you enough. Thank you for saving my life in so many ways. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.