Old Friends

It's been good to be back in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. It had been about 15 months since we'd seen Doug's family and of course, with his sister Jan being so sick, it's great to have the time to hang out here awhile. We've been able to see Jan and her family quite a bit.

A favorite photo of Doug and Jan, taken in Palm Springs a few years ago

She weakens quickly and needs to rest and they need time in the house for just them as a family. They have two dogs, smaller by a lot than Tanner, and one of the days we brought Tanner with us. It was quite the canine romp. Good thing everyone is this mix likes dogs! Our hearts are heavy with the road that Jan is on right now. Please continue to keep her and her family in your prayers. These are fragile and precious moments that are also not easy.
Saturday evening we, along with Doug's folks, his sister and her husband, met up with a dear friend from college, her husband and daughter to attend a play their son was in here in town. The play was a based on the old Swedish American vaudeville circuit that was popular when new immigrants were pouring into the US. It was pretty funny with their exaggerated Swedish accents and silly Swedish jokes. The best was connecting with my dear buddy who I have known since 1978. Our friendship was sealed as we studied genetics together in our freshman year Life Science class.
Another bright spot for me is that several people from my days of being chaplain at North Park University live here. Yesterday I had the opportunity to attend a church where a former student is the pastor.

Couldn't find a wedding photo so here's the whole family!

I also had the privilege of marrying him and his wife almost 20 years ago. It was a joy to see their sweet family and see how Ryan had matured in the pulpit. It happened to be their last service in that church. They are moving west to a new church this summer so it was especially sweet to enter into this time with them. I sat with another couple who I married, also, 20 years ago, and they were lifted up in Ryan's message as true servants to the church.

It made my heart sing to see how these young people had grown into the church leaders of today. Another woman, there with her two kids, was in high school when I was the intern in her church. We were close when I was her youth pastor and it's also neat to see her active in the church, caring for her children. The service was wonderful and I felt almost at home! I was able to go to lunch with another friend who has visited us in Stockholm and with whom no subject is seen as taboo. We went to an awesome burger joint and I enjoyed one of the best burgers I've ever had. Good 'ol American burgers. Can't beat 'em!


There's a couple from our church in Stockholm...another pair who we married a few years ago, who now have a newborn. Can't wait to see them and hold their little guy. Pictures reveal a very cute baby! And when I think of it, there's yet another couple whose wedding was the last I did before we moved to Stockholm! I guess the Twins Cities have been a bit of a magnet for the couples I've hitched! I hope to see them later this week. They are the parents of 4 kids now! It's amazing how the years have gone by. I feel humbled and honored that we've kept in touch all these years and still enjoy catching up.
Old friends...there is something about sharing a history together that lends itself to an immediate sense of closeness even when years have gone by and geography separates. To see how these young people have matured into family folks, good parents, church leaders, civil contributors brings such joy to my heart. I'm very thankful that my path is allowing me to cross theirs every now and again.

Friends Really Are Forever

I've had the distinct pleasure of meeting up with a good friend from high school as well as a good friend from college on this trip.  I last saw my high school friend at our 30 year reunion, 6 years ago.  Prior to that reunion however, it had been at least 20 years since we had seen one another and those years were pre-Facebook so we hadn't been in touch at all.  But at the reunion we re-connected immediately, re-kindled our kindred spirits, and enjoyed a rich level of conversation that made the years vanish, leaving the friendship fresh and intact.  Facebook definitely helped us to keep in touch during throughout the past 6 years and on this trip, we were finally able to arrange to have lunch together. It was amazing how deep and easy the conversation was with topics ranging from faith to family, with a little politics thrown in!  I know our husbands would enjoy one another and we hope that we can get everyone introduced soon, perhaps next time, across the pond in Sweden!  Calene is anxious to visit the country of her heritage and I would be thrilled to welcome her and her husband to our life there.

Then, by chance, a college friend who I have not seen in at least 25 years was in the desert on business and we also were able to arrange a meet up!  Joan and I became friends our freshman year, as we lived on the same floor and found that we shared a love for life and silliness! Joan also ended up marrying one of my friends from California who I knew before Joan did!  Brad and I had become close friends during a week long high school church camp the summer before my senior year of high school.  Joan recalls seeing a photo of Brad in my room long before Brad was ever in proximity to Joan!  We met at a Mexican restaurant which was appropriate because Joan reminded me that I was the one who first introduced her to Mexican cuisine!  When we met she didn't known the difference between a taco, burrito or enchilada!  Brad and Joan have lived in northern California for much of their 31 years of marriage and it was so wonderful to see her again and hear about their life together, their kids, and their faith. Joan also lost her father last February and again, through the Facebook connection, we were able to walk with one another through our parental losses.  It was so good to talk about this season of life, how her mom and my dad are doing at this point and share the journey of our grief face to face.  

Friendships are our life blood and when you move around as much as I have in life, you have to keep making new friends.  But the older you get, it is also true that long-time friendships that share your history and resonate with your past are incredibly valuable.  Our pasts are such a central aspect of who we are in the present that to meet up with these wonderful friends and pick up the sentence mid-stream, even when decades have gone by, is indeed a rare gift and one that I savor and value.

Many thanks to Calene and Joan for making the effort to connect with me while I was in California! Here's to making it happen again and again...perhaps next time on the other side of the pond!