Getting reacquainted with old friends

It seems I have been doing that a lot lately. I don't know what it is but I have this drive to look for old friends and get in touch with them. There are those that I cannot find or I guess refuse to be found for one reason or another. And there are those that I find and are now are a meaningful (and fun!) part of my life once again.

Recently, I got in touch with someone with whom I haven't communicated in 6 years. She was part of probably the most turbulent time in my life. She was one of the people who anchored me and listened to my incessant ranting and raving then. She and her husband, both counsellors and ministers in church, went through some difficult periods because of their support for me. They were dragged through a most unpleasant experience and I really regretted having them suffer through repercussions because of their friendship with me. But there they were, unflinching and ready to defend and fight. I really felt guilty about having them go through such a tumultuous time on my account. We all knew deep inside though that a lot of times, standing up for what is right and exposing wrongdoing entails sacrifice. But as we all believed, God will not let anything touch you for which He does not have a divine purpose. We were both looking back as we chatted, and agreed that no matter how heart-wrenching that experience was, it taught all of us valuable lessons that we would not have learned otherwise. We see in our present circumstance the great fruits of the seemingly bad experience and how we all grew in immeasurable ways from it. She told me that she published a book and that a chapter of it was on that hard road that we travelled years back. Of course, I and the other characters involved had remained unnamed, but it is gratifying to see that something positive is coming out of that unhappy episode. Her books are flying off the shelves and is into its second printing because copies are hard to come by. I can't wait get my hands on one! I am really happy that God can use for good that turbulent time to help and encourage others in their ministry. While I have long joked that I should write about my experience so that I can at least cash in and get something positive out of it, I do know though that it can truly help other people in their own painful journeys. I already have been able to help a number, which I would have been ill-equipped to, had I not gone through what I did.

My friend has encouraged me to write everything down and even suggests that we collaborate on something. That's something to think about.