Homecomings and Reunions

It has been ages since I attended a reunion of my high school (now a college) class. Many of my classmates have either passed away and the exact whereabouts of those still living are not easily known, despite the aid of social media. Many of us have gone away from the hometown, where our high school was, where we had dreamed our dreams and talked about them with our best friends.

The pure distance of where we have settled down, some of us at the other side of the globe, and the hassles and physical demands involved in travel for weakened knees and aging bodies make it prohibitive to come and visit home, even if there are still some classmates to have a reunion with.

For those who are still at the prime of their lives, the call to come home and reunite with one another is very attractive, and possible. Homecomings and reunions are happy opportunities to catch up and enjoy one another's company once again, compare notes about how the classmates have achieved their dreams, and probably agree on some projects to give back to their alma mater in gratitude.

In the bigger context, the earth is our home where we spend a certain number of years. This home is where we experience love -- giving it and receiving it -- to and from family and friends. Home is where we experience the beauty of relationships, and sometimes the heartbreaks, hopefully temporary, from those turned sour.

But I think that if all such relationships always provided only joy and comfort, if life were not mixed with pain and trials and tears, then we would just want to stay. I think that both the joys and sufferings of this present life have value in that they make us think that in God's infinite love and wisdom, He has something more for us, a home much better and more lasting.

In what someone calls "the mysterious realm" that he cannot identify, the homecoming offers pure joy with Him in His home where He dwells, for those who love Him and those He loves.

There is where we can make our final homecoming and hold our happy reunions that will never end.#