September 12, 2010

Been a busy Sunday here- morning service at 10, then off to foto raptors, and then on to a leaving party for a business colleague. Lots of things struck me about today. The talk this morning at chch was a good reminder to us that JC's friends weren't the religious types who had it all together, the ones who taught people what the holy book said, or were pillars and examples in their community. His friends, the ones who followed him, were primarily the outcasts of his society- tax collectors who stole money from people, gangster types, prostitutes, the homeless and jobless. JC said he came for those who realised that they needed a doctor, not for the ones who thought they were healthy. In fact none of us is spiritually healthy- whether we recognise it or not. But for those who realise their unhealthy state, there's great news- JC came to heal you and make you right with Gd. The ones who realised their state were the ones who were JC's friends, and that's what I want to be.

A BNI colleague of mine who lived 10 years in California and moved back to the UK where he's lived 30 years asked me to come round to photograph a leaving party he and his wife were hosting. They're 67 ish, and have decided to retire and move back to California. Their children all live in the US, 2 daughters in California and a son in Chicago, and so they're going back to their home there to be with their grandchildren and watch them grow up. They have US citizenship so they can do that easily, but what a thing to do- to give up comfortable and established lives here amongst their friends to go be with their little grandchildren and their daughters of course. They are selling their house, and in 2 weeks are off to America. I was impressed by their leaving party- so many people were there with whom they had shared their younger years- people they went to high school with, graduated from college with, raised their children with. To have to say goodbye to people like that would be so very hard. And as they aren't followers of JC they will very likely never see most of those folks again.

Most of you know that although I do love fun and enjoying my life, I'm also a thinker. I think quite deeply about these sorts of things- I try to look for wisdom and pursue it when I find it, and learn from those who are older and wiser than myself. Today as I looked around at the faces at this party, I wondered what it was like for my colleague to see the older, in many cases elderly, versions of the friends he knew in his younger life. I wondered to myself what it will be like for me to be in his shoes in 35 years- how surprised I'll be to find that my friends have gotten older, that I've gotten older, and that life has gone by so quickly in the interrim. I heard him mention that he and his wife first went to the States in 1969- that doesn't seem so very long ago to him. In 35 years it'll be my turn to say "I went to Cambridge in 2007" and that will be nearly 40 years in the past. It will be my turn to deal with a body that is aging, with parts that don't work the way they used to, slowing me down and affecting my day to day, when inside I still feel young.

What I gained from thinking about these things is that I am so grateful that I'll be able to see so many of my friends in heaven someday, where none of us will feel old, seem old, or be frail or infirm. I also thought about how valuable it is to keep in touch with friends. And I was reminded again that keeping a diary and recording things in my life is a valuable practice. In some ways my camera is my diary, but my proper written diary will be so valuable to me in the future, as my past writings have already been to me.

Sometimes it's hard to remember that I'm only 31. I had to remind myself today. I don't feel 31- I've squeezed an enormous amount of adventure, excitement, and life into 31 years. But I hope to always look back on the years of my life and see how Gd has been working, and to always no matter how old I get be looking forward to what He is going to do in the future. To my older friends, remember that you're never too old for Gd to use you in a powerful way- 70, 80, 90, He still has something for you! To my younger friends, remember to keep the joy in your lives as you get older, and to keep seeking Gd. Living life isn't about perfection, it's about trying to put JC first day by day.

I'm off to write up a business plan now, and process photos, and send out quotes. The Bbl says "So whatever you do, whether in word or in deed, do it all for the glory of Gd." So off I go to try and do just that. :)