Old Friends

One of my college roommates called me yesterday and indicated that he was in town. So today we sat down for a cup of coffee to catch up. It always amazes me that despite the fact that I've not seen this roommate in three or so years, we immediately fall into our typical routine. During college we'd see each other around campus and I would bellow his name, followed by a return bellow from him of mine. As I walked into my office this morning, he was sitting at my desk, and my first inclination was to bellow his name.

This roommate has been a youth minister outside of DC for ten years now. Myself, I've been in my current job for nine. We shared insights of our current tenures. We both have struggled with feeling the need to move on, we have both assessed our effectivenesses (respectively), and we both have explored the ramifications of such decisions on our families. During college we'd often sit on the porch of our house and contemplate our futures. Would their be wives, children, success, failures, happiness, or sorrow? For the last couple of years, I've lingered on the thought of returning to those days when the most pressing demand on my time was the pages of reading due the next day. Don't get me wrong. I thoroughly appreciate and enjoy the family I'm blessed with today, and the opportunities that I've been presented with. However I don't get the opportunity to sit back and reflect, project, or simply enjoy a nice cigar or bowl of tobacco in my pipe.

Without question, I enjoyed the opportunity to share experiences of raising children, being loving husbands, and developing our skills as professionals. Despite the distance that separate us, I find it curious that our similarities out weigh the differences. Maybe this is what bonded us as roommates a decade ago.

I would encourage anyone and everyone to connect with an old friend. It's refreshing to celebrate our younger years, to take note of how the years have faired for each other, and offer blessings and prayers for those years to come. Raise your cup and salute the friendships that have continued to with little maintenance.