The surprise message caught me off guard. “My dad and I are in town. We are headed out for murtabak this evening. Do you want to join us?”
We had not spoken in ages. As I try to think of the last time we were caught up, in one case I could measure it in years, in the other, decades. We shared a history of being in the same place in a similar time yet at very different points in our lives. For one, it was a time of peak performance and responsibility. Others depended on him for his leadership, guidance, and sense of accountability. He was responsible, for direction and in some cases, lives. For another, it was a time of discovery. In the early days of growing up, discovery who he was, everything was new and possible. For myself, it was a time of being defined. Who and what I am was influenced and shaped during that period.
We enjoy and lingered over dinner. In the memories that were created during over evening together, the dominant realization comes from the rediscovery of what we shared and more. We were all that we were and more. The values and priorities then have taken shape and become real in the lives we lead. We are the same yet different. We are as we were yet more.
It is a reminder of the important of taking stock of what defines us. We can take the best of yesterday and combine it with learning and growth. We can grow into more while celebrating the best of what we were as well as what we are. There is always more. I see it playing out in the story of our journeys. David said it well; “From the four corners of the earth people are coming to their senses, are running back to God. Long-lost families are falling on their faces before him.” (Psalm 22.27)
Yesterday is important, especially as it helps us in the present. Life gifts us with memories, however it is more. Life is in the present.
