Ten year homecoming

Yes, I went to the Wheaton College 10 year reunion. I'm glad I did, but i don't know, it's just so different. We live in the Chicagoland area so have been on campus off and on in the last eight years. You have these four years of memories and then want to "relive" them with fellow alumni... and well, I'm an optimistic kind of guy, so I found joy in hearing people share what they're doing and how the last ten years have been, but maybe i'm also more of a realist and realize that the people i first met 14 years ago and graduated with 10 years ago are different people, have spouses, kids; though we share a common past as our journeys intersected in college, we have since taken different paths in life.

The events only last a few hours and we have maybe a few minutes of "doing the rounds" saying hello to everyone, "what have you been doing? where do you work? how did I know you? are you married? have kids?" Many people from our class were not there (maybe 100 of 500+ who graduated attended) and then people from other classes before and after us, and professors and administrators who have moved on, the absence of whom somehow robs the experience of its full impact. My feelings were both of gratitude at being able to see everyone and have a common weekend together with the sense that it was not all I'd want it to be. A good friend from class of 1996 once talked about an experience and wanting to capture it in a bottle so you could open it whenever and just reminisce and recreate the joys... it felt like I wanted all those four years to somehow come back and they did to a degree, but of course it's never entirely possible.

What was exciting was to hear of people that were still faithful to their God, their faith, pursuing excellence, integrity. And even the many absences were folks who are out all over the world investing their lives For Christ and His Kingdom (the college motto).