A Moment of Reflection

This past weekend I had the opportunity to travel to Lake George, New York, where I attended the wedding of a good friend from college. He returned home from serving in Iraq two weeks earlier, and this was the first time I had seen him in several years. Lake George, situated in the Adirondack Mountains, was beautiful. Though it rained throughout the weekend (torrentially at times), I was able to get out and take a few runs along the lake. That alone made the trip worthwhile. The rest of my time was spent beside a fire in the cabin where I worked on papers for my courses. I suppose the weather was a blessing in that sense. It would have been more far difficult to sit inside had the weather been a bit more cooperative.

Sitting through the wedding with my friends and their wives, I couldn't help but notice how much older we had all gotten. I'm not sure anyone ever really anticipates (or notices) such a thing. I couldn't help but feel a mix of happiness and regret as I sat there. I was certainly excited for my friend and his bride. At the same time, however, I sensed that this would be the last time the six of us came together as a group of friends. In recent years we have only seen each other on ceremonial occasions. The last, five years ago, was my own wedding.

When the deacon delivered the sermon, he indicated that we were gathered to celebrate the start of something new. In a way, that same celebration marked the end of something older as well. I suppose that, like everything else in life, the relationships we build with others are destined to come to an end at some point in time. Recognizing that fact doesn't make it any easier to accept, though.