I am kind of pensive today. One of my friends from early days of becoming a Christ follower died yesterday. Portia was always on the edge but a very nice and memorable person. I really hadn’t talk to her for probably 35 years. It doesn’t seem possible. Evidently she fell and hit her head.
I guess what troubles me is I have so many friends that mean more to me than I think they think they do. Portia and me and several friends all discovered faith at the same time. It was a red-hot time spiritually. So many people were receiving Christ in the Jesus Revival of the late 60′s and early 70′s.
Portia reminded me how I drifted from the roots of what I believe and that was so much more on target than what I followed for quite a few years. There was nothing we were trying to build other than our love for Jesus. And then so much stuff came into the picture.
She had a divorce when that was unthinkable. And I think I look down on her for it, I am sure. I hate to admit it but it was probably true. If I only knew the painful directions most of our lives would travel.
I have some country music playing on my XM radio as I brood here in my comfortable chair on my day off. Portia was a better hippie than most of us. She was two years older than me, which was like ten years in those times. A couple friends and me had something to do with she and her first husband coming to Christ. I thought of those conversations and days again today.
I suppose it’s the fact that so many of my friends have gone on to be with Jesus or are suffering from serious illness, I feel vulnerable. I wonder if anyone will think about me after Jesus calls my number. It’s funny, but I hope so.
My granddad used to read all the obituaries in the local newspaper the last twenty years of his life. I thought it was funny that how people died would be so important to him. Now I know he was a curious about how he was going to go. Portia just fell and hit her head. Man how puzzling is that.
I am sure I am going to live a long time. I will have to work a long time given my retirement funds. But they gave me a psychological profile about four years ago for a job I was considered for. The tester said my level of curiosity about life was so high I was likely to be as young as people 20 to 30 years younger than me for a long time. That and having low cholesterol.
But I miss Portia as limited as I did know her. I suspect one changes a lot more than I want to see over thirty plus years. But then again I read the other day that whoever you are at ten is who you’ll basically be the rest of your life.
Anyway she reminded me of a lot of good days way back when. And I hope her children and enfolded with God’s love.
