The Past, sometimes an unexpectedly nice surprise!

I received an invitation to dinner with my old friend, Keani, who went on to tell me that two more nostalgic friends would be joining us: Matt Yamamoto and his sister, Joy.

I joined New Hope when I was 10, and quickly became involved in a youth group led by Matt Yamamoto, a tall, Asian guy with a laugh that could disrupt a rock concert. For the next 7 years or so, Matt became my mentor and big brother. Something called small groups were held at my house for years, bringing together a slew of enthusiastic teens eager to further their relationships with God and each other. Under the goofy but wise guidance of Matt, we each traded the life of a typical teen, to live WAY above the influences of the world. This could not be bragging, because often times we were teased and ridiculed for living differently.While my friends were drinking, doing drugs and having sex, I was happy not to. I remember not even listening to specific songs, no matter how popular or appealing, because it portrayed a message that I did not agree with. Having a strong circle of support, people that agreed with my life’s choices and that acted similarly, really helped me to remain strong-willed and rooted. Soon, however, there was turmoil with Matt and the church we were now attending. As in everyone’s life, there were things that need more attention than others. Matt had struggled with himself for a while. I knew that even though he appeared unyieldingly strong to us, he had personal battles that continued to leave him weak. He left and there was very little contact between all of us after that.

I began to look to my brother in-law for guidance and let Matt go. Matt had been there for countless milestones in my life: He had nurtured the hunger I had as a new believer, he had prayed with me when family members had passed away, he was there for my many love-life dilemmas and now he was nowhere. I continued to defend him, not knowing the situation fully, but having the utmost respect for my youth pastor, it did not matter.

Over the years, there has always been a curiosity as to how he’s been. I’ve seen him a few times but haven’t really been able to connect genuinely. Last night was the first time in years. As I was standing with his sister, Joy, he walked up to us and did not even notice who I was. After a minute or two, he finally got it. The excitement was uncontainable! I wanted to cry but thought better of it. The rest of the night was spent reminiscing about the past, remembering old stories and laughing about all the failures. There were some apologies and condolences, as life had passed by without much consideration for any of us. I left that night feeling like another part of my life had opened up, where it hadn’t really closed in the first place.

Maybe it’s because Rick is gone, he knows that I need all the help I can get. Maybe 7 years of NOT being in each other’s lives was just the right amount of time we needed. All I do know is, revisiting the past has never felt so rewarding. Looking forward to what’s to come, or not: I don’t mind waiting another 7 years for a feeling like this.

Happy New Year!