The road taken

Yesterday I got a letter in the mail from one of the organizers of my 30-year high school class reunion. The actual reunion was a couple of weeks ago, but I didn't make the trip back to southern Indiana because it was the last weekend Megan was home before going far, far away. So, the letter I got in the mail was the updates on their lives that my classmates had shared. (On the reservation form was a place to tell what we were doing now. I filled out mine and sent it in before the reunion.)

A few things struck me about this list — more of my classmates than I expected had been married a long time to the same person. I was glad to see that. But another thing I noticed was how many of them had never left southern Indiana. They were still living in or near Posey County and had married local boys and girls. There were a few, of course, who had left and come back. And there were even fewer that had moved away to other parts of the country (or even the world) for good. There were also some names notable by their absence. Maybe they chose not to provide an update, or maybe they were among those the organizers hadn't been able to locate. But some of the ones missing from the list were among the top students in the class and I wonder where they've ended up.

You can't tell a lot about people based on a brief paragraph that tells where they live and what they do and who they married and how many kids they have. But I remember an English teacher who came down pretty hard on us for not being able to see past our little corner of Indiana. I suspect not a lot has changed.

My parents moved away from there a couple of years after I graduated from high school and I haven't been back since then. I've traveled pretty far from there, done a few interesting things. I think I have a broader perspective on the world. High school was OK, but it certainly wasn't the high point of my life.

I'm thankful for the path God has led me along, though it hasn't been the most comfortable. If you've been wondering about where God might be leading you, I'd suggest you take a look at Your Writer's Group. Mick seems to be poised to take a new direction in life. He shares some good thoughts about being willing to take the risks God offers.