So, what's new with you?

It was an interesting evening. I spent it at Papio Bowl. My sister used to have these "I'm Never Getting Old Parties." Then, she got old. Then, she got over that and decided it was time to have another. Well, weird thing. People around her definitely got older. Including me.

I spent the evening chatting with many of her friends. People I haven't really seen in 4 or 5 years. And the question comes up continuously ... what's been going on in your life? Hah. Do they really want to know? I'm guessing the answer is a resounding 'no.' They don't have time to listen to me tell the tales of change and tumult that have occurred in the last 2 years of my life. So, we chatted about the banal and insipid, quietly leaving the deeper issues on hold. They're Carol's friends, not mine.

But, as I talked to one of her friends, she described her life to me. Not much had really changed since I had last seen her 4 years ago. How do you tell someone that you are always changing, but there are no big differences in your life? Every once in awhile, something big happens to your life, a job change, marriage, divorce, enter school, complete school, new kids, family deaths. But, for the most part, we live our lives and hold pretty close to the status quo.

That doesn't mean we aren't learning new stuff and meeting new people, experiencing new things. How do you describe to someone you are having a five minute conversation with, the excitement of a 10 hour drive through Iowa and uncovering the beauty of the surrounding area. How do you let them know that just this morning, God took you into the Psalms and introduced you to a completely new manner of communication with Him? The small changes. Those things that allow us to have hope for a better tomorrow, even if all of the stuff stays the same around us. That's what is new in my life.

Even though I have dealt with a lot of 'big' things in the last couple of years, the excitement in my life comes from discovering a new book, listening to my friends tell me about what they are experiencing, hanging out for a couple of hours with old friends, watching my husband enjoy taking photographs, sitting on the front porch while Leica explores the same old yard, enjoying my niece and nephews as they grow up.

What's new with me? The same old thing. I'm so thankful for that!