When you start a friendship, that friendship may last for a season or last for life.

We’ve all had friendships that didn’t last for one reason or another – they moved away or you had an argument and never made up. Sometimes it’s just circumstances that set you apart. You end up at different schools or your career paths take you in different directions. 

High school friends are often for the season. When high school is over that’s it for the friendship, partly because you don’t have contact with those people anymore.

But there are occasions when friendships span the distances, differences and directions. For those relationships there is deep connection that bridges all the impediments to remaining friends.

This week I met up with some high school friends. It’s a thing we do about every two years. We meet up at a restaurant and share a meal together and talk about old times. 

Some people wish they could forget their high school years. They’ve tried to blot them out of their memory banks. But I think I’m safe in saying that for me and my friends, high school was probably one of the best seasons of our lives.

 It doesn’t take much to bring us together either. One friend comes into town to visit family and the emails get sent out, “let’s meet up”.

The crazy thing is, the boys show up.

We feast on remembering back to those days, now almost 50 years ago. 

Thinking back 50 years, I don’t have much left from that time period. I don’t have my custom-made platform shoes anymore, nor do I have my knee-length grey coat with the 10-inch fur collar. 

… Those things have all gone, along with much of the hair we all had back then. 

Some of our group get together periodically, maybe for golf, hockey or for some social gathering, but some of us don’t get together at all. There were a few guys who showed up whom I haven’t seen since high school.

One neat thing about this group though is that no matter how long the time gap between meetings, we kind of pick up where we left off. The nicknames start to fly around like it was yesterday. 

These reunions are always something to look forward to. … Maybe that’s why this year there were 17 of us who got together at Fionn McCools for a good old catchup.

Back in the 80’s there was a TV show called, “Cheers”. It centred around a bar in Boston. Whenever one of the main characters, Norm Peterson, walked into the bar, everyone stopped, looked up and cheered, “Normmm”. 

Well, that was what it was like the other night. 

We all stood around the patio and, when someone came through the doors, there was a, “Hey, ……” and the greetings began.

It was only one night and it probably won’t happen again like that for another two years. But when the email invitation comes to do it again, I won’t hesitate to answer.

Here’s the thing: Most of us focus on the here and now. At some point we won’t be around anymore and the friendships we had will end. But there is a friendship we can have that will continue into eternity – a friendship with Jesus Christ will never end. Put your faith in Him today and your friendship will last forever.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What old friend should you try to reconnect with? Leave your comments and questions below.

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