I woke up tired – tired in the best sort of way. How do you capture an event that weaves your past and present together, giving you a tapestry that includes not only memories, but also a sense of being grounded in your current reality?

This weekend brought together a group of people aged 16 to 90. Some danced with the grace of youth while others shuffled with the wisdom and reality of aging. Some came with extended families while others came alone.

Old friendships were rekindled and new friendships were formed. Conversations went deep, and laughter was around every corner.

The only thing that everyone of us had in common was a connection to, and a love for the country of Pakistan and a sense that we did not end up connected to the “Land of the Pure” by chance. And with those two things in common, the rest followed.

I have begun to see what a gift it is to honor my past. To accept the hard and the good that made me who I am today. This weekend was a chance to honor that past and not be stuck in it. It was a chance to renew friendships based on who I am today, not what I was yesterday.

On the Mount of Transfiguration, Jesus’ disciples experienced an extraordinary event. They caught s glimpse of the eternal as they saw Jesus communicate with Moses and Elijah.  They desperately wanted to hold on to the glory of the event. “Let’s build shelters,”they suggest to Jesus. “Let’s capture this! We don’t want it to end!”

Can anyone blame them? 

When you have experienced something of the eternal, you want to hold tightly onto it, afraid for what might happen if you let it go.

This morning, I wanted to hold onto what I experienced this weekend. I wanted to hold onto the contentment, laughter, joy, and belonging that were in abundance. Like Peter, James, and John – I wanted to build a shelter. (Although my Peter, James, and John looked more like a Debbie, a Eunice, and a Joan, or a Leslie, a Marty, and a Suzi.) But the idea was the same.

“Let’s capture this, never let it go, make sure we protect it so we never lose it!”

But that did not happen on the Mount of Transfiguration; nor did it happen today.

Instead, Peter, James, and John gained a greater understanding of who Jesus was.

And I leave my reunion with the same. Through honoring the past, and rejoicing in the present, I get a glimpse of the eternal and it is a gift.