Oli's 'golden years'

Olivia is leaving for Sydney tomorrow after six weeks back here. The time has flown for her......so many people to catch up with apart from certain matters to tie up. Last year when Oli left in October, it was sort of 'final' too but there was always this year's reunion to look forward to. This time round, she is going back to her permanent 'home' in Sydney. Coming back to Malaysia will be a 'vacation' for her, rather than the other way round.

Hmm....when we had lunch a few days ago, Oli reminded me that we first met up almost six years ago. How the time has flown. I am so grateful for the privilege of journeying with Oli these six years. So much of what she has shared has encouraged me in my own journey of seeking 'the way, the truth and the life'. She has encouraged me to befriend people with special needs. Even though I do not actually take an active part in that ministry, it is still a great joy to be in touch with these vulnerable persons who surely are special in God's eyes.

As I told Oli the other day, she has reached a really graced place in her journey - the 'golden years' - a stage of integration. All of life is gathered together with deep gratitude. There is deep acceptance of life - the joys, the sorrows, the successes, the failures. These are all seen and embraced as part of the gift of life; nothing wasted, nothing to regret because the Lord "writes straight with crooked lines". In fact, as Oli imaged, one learns to 'float' in God's love. There is no longer a need to 'swim against the tide', to 'prove' oneself anymore. One is satisfied to allow God to do the leading, wherever that might lead. It is a really graced place to be - as the fragments of one's life seem to 'come together' as in one piece.

I know I am far behind in this - am still going through mid-life - the stage before that seems to be partly turmoil through all the letting go that has to take place. But it is a gift to have friends who show me what the later stages of life are like - Oli shows me things that I might only have grasped in theory. With her, these come alive; God's ways with people as they grow older become something to give thanks and praise for.