Ghosts

I think that everyone has people in their history that they haven't stayed in touch with, for various reasons, who may pop up unexpectedly. Today I had a friend from waaaaay back in high school pop up on facebook.

With the reconnection and requisite sharing of years' worth of news comes a host of memories that had been languishing in the back of my memory for a long time. Many of those memories bring a big smile to me face.

When I was in fourth grade my parents pulled up stakes and moved from northern BC to eastern Ontario. For me this was leaving what had been home for my whole life. They were moving closer to their roots and family. We ended up on a small town in the Ottawa Valley.

When my sisters and I were making the transition to high school, our mom was looking for a way to establish positive social relationships for us to help circumvent the temptations of small town high school life. There were not a lot of options to choose from, so she started a youth group in our church. This was one of the best parenting decisions, in my opinion, she ever made. We ended up with an amazing set of friends and experiences that impacted who we are as adults.

Every time I hear from someone who was connect to the PYP through retreats or service projects, Bible studies or sports tournaments I end up smiling. High school itself was not what I would title the best years of my life (not the worst either), but PYP events were definitely some of the best days and moments.

I wonder where everyone is, what they are doing, are they happy, did they sort through their hopes, dreams, and fears to find a place in God's kingdom that brings them joy?

Where is everyone now?