Six Oh

The big six oh is history for me, but I seem to hang out with mostly younger people than myself so I get to see the angst from an experienced point of view. Such was the case on Saturday afternoon when a childhood friend was thrown a big party to mark the milestone. There were plenty of people, a band, a lot of good food, and a good old fashioned sing along. There were a few folks there that I had a history with, including the birthday girl. Just to make it interesting, I might add that my father told me, when I was 18, that I should marry that girl. In fact, I did date her, once. She was and still is a fantastic person. Her husband, who was also my good friend at the time, said that he hesitated in dating her for a few years because, in his words, "she was too nice". I thought he kind of nailed it with that expression.

Observing the friends of my youth after a long absence is a bit disconcerting. After talking with many of them for the first time in a very long time, I realised that not much has changed except their appearance. The voices, the sense of humour, the friendliness, or lack of it, the attitudes and expressions all had such a familiar ring. It was as though time was standing still, at least for the afternoon.

But then, as we got past the small talk, I discovered that 'life' has hit everyone of them in a unique way. I was told of things that I knew I would have great difficulty enduring, yet there was a perseverance and maturing that shone through, and in every case it was a testimony to their faith. I might add, that this was our young people's group from church in the mid to late sixties. It was so encouraging to learn what an enduring faith can do to ease one into a life that is now passing middle age.