YEARS

Tomorrow my cousin Kenny is stepping down from his Associate Pastor post after 10 years. Props to him. That's a long time.

It made me think of these past years and a picture that a friend of ours dug up from the archives, our missionary youth group that toured Asia in 1987. Next year we plan to bring everyone back for a 20 year reunion. With the probable objection of some in the photo (it's a free country, right?), I'm posting it and a copy of my email I sent the team.

For those in the know, see if you can identify everyone (freebie: Beverly is missing.) I'll leave out the names to protect the innocent. Another freebie: I'm the good looking guy in the back but with hair :) And Kenny's in the picture too.

Here's my email, October 2005:

I'm still sooo tripping about this pic. Shook me up a little, out of the unforgiving inertia of my 'daily routine.'

18(!) years ago. Think about that for a moment. From birth to High School graduation, a lifetime in itself.

As I scan our faces in the photo, I think of what's happened in our lives since then-the good, the bad, the indifferent; mistakes and accomplishments-the joyful, painful, regretful, memorable, sublime. Marriage, children, career and locale changes, personal gain and loss (and not just weight and hair, hehe).

What will the next 18 years, 'Lord willing' (sorry, ingrained Christianese superstition) have in store for us, our families? How will we live those years? Will there be regrets of things undone, experiences unexplored, challenges unfaced, dreams unnurtured, love unexpressed. Remember, no regrets. 'I'll do it later,' or 'one day,' doesn't exist. Do it now. How we spend our days are how we spend our lives.

My latest medical tests show that the cancer is still under control, another day of life, so thankful. I often tell others not to let something as extreme and traumatic as a life-threatening illness finally cause you to live the life you've always wanted, the life of your dreams. Do what you love, with the people you love. Life is so short, so precious even in the difficult, numbing times.

Here's a pic of Gilly and I from our family reunion at Disneyland last week. 18 years from now, Lord willing :), this will be a picture of us at Gillian's graduation from Stanford. Heavy rap.

Just my .02. Thanks for the ramble, you all already know I'm philosophically wired.

Life is good. Love you all. Godspeed.

Roman