Packing for Adventure

If you could host a dinner and anyone you invite was sure to come, who would you invite?

I think the most obvious answer to this would be a famous historical figure, and most notably Jesus Christ. I’d definitely extend Him an invite!

I would additionally make sure to invite the group of kids I grew up with.

I had the opportunity to attend my 20-year high school reunion last year, and I did not go. My graduating class was very large, and I only personally knew a fraction of them. It got me thinking about who I WOULD like to have a reunion with. I thought about it a lot.

I decided I’d like a reunion with all the kids from my neighborhood. There were tons of us! Maybe 8 in my grade in school, plus another 20 in the grades above and below me. If you add the kids two years above and below me, it’s even more.

We shared so many life-defining moments: summer night games, church camps, school dances, awkward junior high phases, and the ups and downs of discovering who we were becoming. We saw each other through first crushes, heartbreaks, achievements, and growing pains. We had inside jokes and childhood traditions that no one else could possibly understand. They’re the people with the deepest context for who I turned out to be.

I seriously considered attempting to reach out to all of them for a get together, but I chickened out. Maybe one day I’ll be brave enough to do it.

But if I could host a dinner and guarantee that everyone I invited would come, no excuses! They’d all, along with their families, have a seat at the table.