Several years ago, I reconnected with a dear friend from high school.
We had a joyous reunion.
Initially, we texted and played phone tag. We reminisced and walked down Memory Lane. We slipped into that familiar camaraderie we’d known as teens.
Prior to our reunion, I hadn’t seen Billie Gail in about 25 years—since we both wore bell bottoms and Farrah Fawcett hair and danced to the Bee Gees at our favorite dariette.
Ahh. Great times!
Well, as cliché as it sounds, time marched on.
Since our reunion, recent seasons have been filled with poignant memories—some bittersweet and some laugh-out-loud funny.
Since our reunion, recent seasons have been filled with poignant memories—some bittersweet and some laugh-out-loud funny. @C_Herronauthor #friendship #reunions Click To TweetAnd then, too, I’ve experienced moments that have pricked my heart as I’ve learned of other classmates’ loss.
I’ve thought about how short life really is. How one year melds quickly into the next the older we get.
Why did it take so long for Billie Gail and I to reconnect?
We were good friends in high school.
We shared similar interests.
We laughed at the same silly jokes, liked the same songs, moved in the same circles.
Hmm.
I suppose we lost touch because our lives went in different directions for a while. I did the education route first and family second, and for Billie Gail, it was the other way around.
Regardless—I’m thankful God reunited us.
Last year, Billie Gail traveled to attend a book event for Her Hope Discovered. What a blessing it was when she surprised me!
Besides Billie, my longest enduring friendship is with my best friend from college. That’s a lot of years.
The great thing about the passage of time is the opportunity it affords us. We can watch it slip by or we can mature and grow. The great thing about the passage of time is the opportunity it affords us. We can watch it slip by or we can mature and grow. @C_Herronauthor #choices #timemanagement Click To Tweet
Thankfully, I’ve grown.
I’ve tried new things.
I’ve stepped past my comfort zone.
I’ve adapted to change and I’ve adopted resiliency because of it.
Somewhere in my late twenties I realized there were certain things I wanted from life, and I began to plan. I made a list of goals I wanted to strive toward.
I visualized outcomes.
Since I’m not one to sit back and linger on the sidelines too long (I’m a doer), that active mindset has served me well.
I’ve moved beyond the constraints of circumstances and explored the what ifs.
While some people may view aging as a deterrent, I’ve found it freeing. We’re not bound by the same level of expectation that we are when we’re younger so societal (and our self-imposed) bubbles no longer inhibit.
We still have obligations to meet, but we also avail ourselves to options.
It sounds incredibly archaic, but I wish I could tell today’s youth not to focus so much on living for the moment, but to live for the moment with purpose. It sounds incredibly archaic, but I wish I could tell today’s youth not to focus so much on living for the moment, but to live for the moment with purpose. @C_Herronauthor #inspiration #motivation Click To Tweet
As teens and young adults, we don’t think long-term. Our world is our now. Because we don’t have many life experiences to gauge our future by, we make choices judged on our present.
Seems like the rational thing to do, right?
But the reality is—in our youth, we don’t think as clearly.
We’re rarely rational. Our brains are still guided by raging hormones and the sleepy fog of adolescence. It takes time to outgrow those normal and necessary checks and balances.
God knew what He was doing when He created transitional life points.
As we mature, God allows a variety of experiences to shape us. We climb and master each rung of the maturity ladder based on the ability to adapt and grow.
In addition, we make good or bad choices afforded by that learning curve.
Do we appropriately apply our new knowledge or do we spin our wheels and repeat the same mistakes by making the same poor choices?
I think if I could step back in time, I’d tell younger me to embrace the moment, yes, but to appreciate the moment even more.
To relish knowledge and never lose passion for desiring more.
After all— “more” is the perfect word when framed by God’s standard and what He wants for us.
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What advice would you give your younger self?
Cynthia writes Heartfelt, Homespun Fiction from the beautiful Ozark Mountains. A hopeless romantic at heart, she enjoys penning stories about ordinary people facing extraordinary circumstances. Her Hope Discovered, her début novel and the first in a three-book series, released December 2018 with Mountain Brook Ink.
“Cindy” has a degree in psychology and a background in social work. She is a member of ACFW, ACFW MozArks, and RWA.
She is a 2020 Selah Award (Double) Finalist, a 2017 ACFW Genesis Finalist, a 2016 ACFW Genesis (Double) Finalist, and a 2015 ACFW First Impressions Winner. Her work is represented by WordServe Literary.
Besides writing, Cindy enjoys spending time with family and friends. She has a fondness for gingerbread men, miniature teapots, and all things apple. She also adores a great cup of coffee, and she never met a sticky note she didn’t like.
For love, fun, and encouragement ~
Is the sure thing worth risking for the possibility of maybe?
Charla Winthrop, a savvy business woman seeking a permanent lifestyle change in small-town Ruby, learns that things aren’t always what they appear when she takes up residence in a house steeped in charm and a hint of mystery.
Rumor has it that Sam Packard the town carpenter is her go-to guy for home remodeling, but can Charla convince him to help her—with no strings attached, of course? Alone far too long, Sam’s prayed that God would send him a wife and a mother for his daughters. However, the new Ruby resident is hardly what he imagined. A new place to call “home,” the possibility of what might be, and the answer to someone’s prayers unite this unlikely pair with the help of the town’s residents.
***
Nestled in the Ozarks’ hills and hollows is Ruby, Missouri, a quaint, cozy town where “neighbor” is merely another word for “friend.” Ruby will charm and delight as will her quirky, lovable characters who will steal your heart, but hand it right back—with whipped cream and a cherry on top. Savor your new friends’ sorrows and successes in the community where offbeat is perfect and mishaps and mayhem never tasted so good.
Melissa Henderson
Cynthia Herron
Sara Davison
Cynthia Herron