Class of '96

Ten years ago this month I graduated from Lee County Senior High School in Sanford, NC. It seems impossible. TEN YEARS!! Wow!! For some of you that may seem like nothing, having possibly been out of that prison for many more years. For me, however, it's hard to believe. My high school has created a homepage through classmates.com, where we can all catch up with one another and see the different paths we've all taken. And there are many. It's been cool to get emails from some of my former classmates, who I haven't seen or heard from since that summer a decade ago.

It's amazing how much can change in that length of time. I've been thinking about how different my life is now. How different I am. The events which have shaped me so. When I graduated, if you'd have asked me to paint a picture of my life in 2006 it would not resemble the one I currently live. It would have paled in comparison, looking now from this side of the table. I'd never thought I'd be a pastor, nor did I want to be (and I'm sure some of those I went to High School with would say the same). I'd never thought I be living in South Carolina. I'd never thought I'd be given such an amazing women with whom to share this journey. But God has allowed all three to happen, and I would not change any of it. It's funny how, when in the moment, we think we know what's best for us, for our future, but as the events unfold in real time we learn otherwise.

Wonder what I'll write about 2006 in 2016? I can't even begin to imagine!!