* Once I was young and now I’m growing old(er

Just returned from a quick trip north to a Board meeting of a Lutheran camp our church makes use of (as in about 100 of our youth went there this summer). That was yesterday. I was able to stay over and slept (sort of) in a cabin right on the lake. While I didn’t hear any loons, I did get to see an incredible sunrise, starting about 430 this morning when it started to get light in the east across the lake. Then I had the opportunity to ride along as our high school youth came in from having camped in what I still call the BWCA (they added a letter to this at some point, as in “W” for “Wilderness”?

As our youth paddled in and then started telling tales of their time in the wilderness, I reflected on the energy and
excitement they still had, having paddled, portaged and slept in tents for a week. I had that once, too. It doesn’t seem almost 40 years since I worked at Wilderness Canoe Base one summer. But it is. Is this good or bad or somewhere in between? Yes.

One thing I’m grateful for is all the time we had with our kids as they were growing up, at least partly because we were living in Madagascar for about half of that time. It ended up now in retrospect going by so fast. Yet it was over 25 years. I figured out the other day that this is where the time between being young and now being old(er) went. Was it worth it? Most definitely. Would I do it that way all over again? Well, hopefully better, but yes, that was what we were called to be doing at that time. Now we’re blessed to be able to be a part of our grandchildren’s lives. How amazing is that?!

And now, as I try to be helpful and supportive of our church’s youth, I have the benefit of so many good memories my wife and I had with our children. As well as new experiences with the amazing youth our church is blessed with.