The Tulsa portion of my 30 day Sabbatical Experiment was very pleasing. In spite of my anxieties about the mini-reunion it was way more fun than I could have hoped. The whole reconnecting with friends from days gone by was especially sweet and wonderful. Yet, as we talked and remembered and filled in the gaps of our lives it was not difficult to discover that many of us have lived through some really difficult days and situations, health concerns, marriages that didn't go well and the like. Not a one of us seemed to be without scars of some sort and there were even some among us who had fresh wounds. It seems to be so that none of us walks through this world unscathed. We've reached our 50's and that's plenty of time for a hike through the woods of life.
Most of the people, and perhaps even all of them, who were there are decent, good people. Bad things do indeed happen to the best of us. One particularly endeared friend is reovering from the loss of her father whom she deeply adored. She is very strong in faith and has lived her principles, as did her dad. But, grief shows on her face nonetheless.
I often assert that life can almost always be explained by physics. A curious thing for a pastor to say others often think. But I believe that when a heavy load begins to crush us it is good to have a structure around us that can support and distribute the weight. Because none of us escapes life unschathed it is good indeed to have friends who bear us up on eagle's wings and help us carry the load.
