While waiting for the Five-minute Friday prompt to appear I check my flight itinerary again. Next weekend I’m flying home for my high school reunion and to visit my family. The prompt appears and I laugh out-loud.
Ready.
Ready or not, here comes my THIRTY year high school reunion. 30. Yes, you read that right. I’m sure you must be glancing at my author-ish picture posted on here and feeling shocked because I appear SO much younger than that. Right? Right? But indeed, I’m going home as an old lady to visit my old friends in my old hometown.
Now take a look at this picture I ran down and pulled from my senior-year scrapbook. One of my senior portraits. I can only chuckle at the irony that my hair has undergone multiple style changes over the years but has evolved back into something so similar to my high-school look (although I’m not sure anyone can accurately achieve that giant 80s hair quite like we did it back then).
Look at those innocent eyes. I was so ready to graduate and get on with my life. Ha! One can almost see the fear as I thought I really needed to have life all figured out upon graduation and I could not even check anything besides the “undecided” major box in my college applications. I did not feel ready for college!
As long as we’re talking about ready, let’s move on to getting married. I wanted to get married, but was I ready? Motherhood. I loved kids but didn’t’ feel ready to be a mom with all the commitment and responsibilities. Three kids? Seriously. Who is ready for that? Anyone ready for a child with leukemia? How about for the death of a student or a best friend? Who is ready for the loss of a family member or for moving across the country?
THIRTY YEARS! Thirty years since those innocent eyes smiled upon thoughts of graduation. I didn’t feel ready then, and I’m not sure I’m ready for what’s next now.
But my “not-feeling-ready” stuff is different now because I know that maybe I will never quite be “ready” for the next thing. In fact, most of the time, I won’t even know what the next thing is going to be. But it’s okay.
I know that I don’t really have to do much. I’ve got a God who’s got everything ready for me. He’s already been where I’m going and He will never leave me. With that thought in mind, I can be ready for anything.
I’m excited to see my old friends and classmates. I’m sure none of us are going to look old. It’s certain we are not nearly as antique as the 30 year alumni were back in 1984. THOSE people were ancient! I can’t wait to hear friends’ stories and catch up on our lives.
Ready or not, here I come!
Join us at Kate Motaung’s place for some Five-Minute Friday fun!
