Learning How to Be Forever Young

Oops, I forgot all about this posting.

I had the photos loaded and ready to go and then...oh, I suppose I could spin a good yarn, maybe something about being abducted by aliens, my dog (you know my ever (faithful companion Cooper?) ate my computer or I didn't get the memo. But, truth be told, I put the photos up and completely forgot to write the story. So I will do my best to recapture the moment or moments.

The first weekend in November, I spent the weekend with a group of young people from our church, the Redlands United Church of Christ. It was a retreat, of sorts, where in two days we were to recap a year of instruction, learning and sharing about faith, Spirituality, and Christianity. The kids and some of the adults were returning to the same camp (see Forever Young) in the San Bernardino mountains to finish what they had begun.

We confronted a high ropes course, walked and meditated on the path of a labyrinth, laughed and shared. I found it to be one of the most profound experiences of my life. At a certain point, we adults, seem to forget how to listen to the young. This is amazing since we, presumably, were young ourselves. I counted myself among the forgetful. I suppose we could blame a lifetime of filters, walls and barriers contributing to the difficulty of really hearing what the young are saying. And perhaps, remembering my own youth, the young sense this and perceive it simple as too much work to get through our filters, walls and barriers. But the onus is on us, adults, to learn how to listen and speak the same language.

What I heard from our young people amazed me. Their messages brought tears to my eyes and joy to my heart. These are the people who will inherit tomorrow, who will watch after us and hold us close as we age. They will look to us and say, "I remember when..."

I felt honored to be young again, to challenge the ropes, walk the labyrinth and share their laughter.

I think we, humankind, is going to be okay.

Listen to the young. It will be amazing what you will hear.