Time

Last weekend I was back in Spencer, IA for a wedding. I drove past my old house, office, Justin's school and favorite "hot" spots--Everything looked the same, except for new coat of paint on my old house and new playground equipment at the school. In many ways, it was reassuring to see that so little had changed in the years since I started my first job after grad school.

I was able to join a group of my first "co-workers" for lunch on Friday afternoon. I was the first to arrive at the newest restaurant in town--a quaint old church, that now overlooks the river. Much of the original woodwork and stained glass windows remain, giving it a rich welcoming feel. I watched as my friends began to arrive. My dear friend Rae, a youngster in her 80's, hugged me warmly and we both started talking at once. Then I saw Jan come through the door. She hadn't changed a bit (and she was old when I worked with her) but still I leaned over and asked Rae if this was really her, considering that by now she would likely be long gone. Here she was alive and well--same hair do, style and as sharp as a tack. We were joined by Jim, Pat & Roger and their lovely wives. Linda, Pat's executive secretary, was there, too. She and I spent many nights out on the town in those early years; but neither of us could muster the energy to do it again for old time sake.

We caught up with each others lives, careers and kids and we reminisced about our days together at NW Iowa Mental Health. After a couple hours we were the only ones left in the church. Time had passed so quickly as had the years since we worked together. Yet, we all seemed pretty much the same. Sometimes time changes everything, but more often time really doesn't change the things that matter.