Reunion time

This has been a crazy, wonderful, strange last few months. It has been kinda like one of those "this is your life" programs. Everywhere I turn I'm getting re-acquainted with old friends from as far back as I can remember, keeping up with current friends, and even becoming newly acquainted with people I'm just beginning to get to know...all at once. Facebook is part of the reason, and for those of you involved with that cyber social life, you understand. But there's more, too. I just attended a reunion for the group I went to BYU Jerusalem with. That was so fun! Next week I'm hosting a lunch for a group of childhood friends at my house, some of whom I haven't seen in around 20 years. And, yes, I'll admit it, my 20 year high school reunion is coming up this summer. They've set up their own social network on-line where my entire graduating class is emerging out of the woodwork to inter-mingle once more. I gotta tell ya, this whole past becoming present thing is amazing. In many ways it is really fun to be interacting with everyone. In some ways it has been really good for me, as even a few foolishly burned bridges have been re-built. One thing is for sure...I'm glad I don't have any big terrible messes in my past. Lots of stupid mistakes, but nothing earth-shattering.

This all leads me to wonder a few things. First, where do we go from here? It used to be that people from your past stayed there. Are all friendships now current forevermore? This is all new territory for the human experience. Secondly, my concept of the afterlife has changed a bit. I always envisioned it as a big reunion and reconciliation of sorts. Now some of that is happening in this life. Interesting. Thirdly, wouldn't a genealogical version of facebook, devoid of time and space, be intriguing? Locate family members, link generations, pictures, tidbits, get to know your long losts.... I'd love to "friend" my 3rd great-grandmother Magdalena Straubhaar Schwendiman and have a bit of wall-to-wall with her. And I'm sure I'd love the status reports from my great-grandfather Joseph Hatton Carpenter. He had some jolly songs and anecdotes and was somewhat of an English character. Hmmmmm...