Memories of Youth

In the fullness of time

They found each other, again

There were fond memories

And forgotten emotions

Things not known

Things left unsaid

Of love that was felt

And Love unrequited

In the fullness of time

Two lives take two forks

Such different routes

To back home again

Older, and a bit wiser

With ups and downs of life

For a moment there is laughter

Memories of youth

Ever found an old friend from your youth, one you haven't seen in, oh, say... forty-five years?  I was happy and privileged to have been blessed with such an episode, just recently.  Happy because she was numbered among the few I loved, privileged because she took the time to look me up, and blessed because God routed her back to me.

I have been blessed, of late, to find many of my old friends, some from high school and a few from my early military career.  We have changed so very much.  We are older, balder, or fatter, and our bodies hurt with the aches of our misspent youth or the hard life which followed.  Crow's feet decorate the corners or our eyes, behind glasses where none were before.  We get up slower because the knees are shot, and spend more time in the toilet because there's nothing pressing on our agenda.  We have children not thought of back in the day, and grandchildren we most certainly never thought about being blessed with.

We are also the same, still, after so many years.  Our memories are the anecdotes of our youth, which we share and correct each other over.  Memories of beliefs which were wrong, feelings misread, misunderstood, or not revealed; the real life soap opera of kids learning about love, life, and hurt in a time of free love, drugs, bra burning, peace marches and the military draft for a war being waged in a country the location of which was unknown to many as were the reasons for being there.

Lives go in different directions, and people lose track.  I look at old friends, particularly of my youth, and wonder how things might have turned out if we'd not lost track.  How might we look and feel, today, if we had lives together instead of apart?  Would we have taken better care of ourselves?  Would we have been able to sidestep the aneurysms, heart attacks, strokes, high blood pressure, the extra tire or the diabetes?  Would the wrinkles of age be a bit more subtle?  Would our friendship and love have lasted a lifetime?  Would we stay home, or would we explore the world, and would we do it together?  How different would our lives have been?

People lose track of each other.  One of the benefits of social media is an ability to narrow the "six degrees of separation."  The personal computer has allowed us to become closer than ever before, to stay in touch with friends, and to discover old friends once thought lost.  With the evil in technology comes also the balance of some good.  Used properly it presents an opportunity to enrich our lives, and remind us of who we once were and where we come from.  We may not be able to go home again, but technology sure helps remind us of times past and old friendships.  It reminds us of love, loss, and the carefree days of our youth.

I will stay in touch with my rediscovered friends.  We will continue to remember and discover.  We will laugh and cry.  In a few years we may celebrate a passing into the next life... where we will meet again, in our youth.

Editor's Note 

(re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card) 

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider another viewpoint. 

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and then engaging in peaceful, constructive, discussion in an arena of mutual respect concerning the opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we do afterward, and what we learn from the experience.

Pastor Tony spent 22 years with Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, and instructor. He is founder of the Congregation for Religious Tolerance and author/editor of the Congregation's official blog site, "The Path," which offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination.