Plowshares

Today. Today I "got to" reconnect with an old friend, from childhood and adolescence, from those days we don't often go. A friend with whom is a complex past, almost too ancient to recall the details. The person across from me was the same (same whit, same coy ability to laugh at himself and with others), and yet different (settled, mature, having already wrestled the demons, has his limp that makes him humble and filled with grace for others). Our paths divided - but somehow we grew up, came to a place of respect and reconciling mistakes of youth, put the dysfunctions of the past to rest without minimizing them or neglecting the positive, allowing time's salve to do its work and bring about healing, peace and the unthinkable, something I didn't expect: the restoration of respect, peace, good will and possibly even admiration.

This is rare. Usually people (not that I would ever do such a thing, tisk, tisk ...that's dry humor for those black and white friends) harbor and use it as the scape for the ills at present forever. What's amazing is that it took so long, but as this friend said, "No, it was the right amount of time for this, to reach this place." My friend is right. With age comes wisdom, not to always avoid mistakes, but to recognize and repent, reconcile and restore faster, and to give grace to others who have been and are as wounded as we are, as we navigate life - which so rarely works out as we planned.

Thank you friend. You model grace in a way that only Christ can do. See you around.