Tonight's Reunion...Looks Like Fun

I knew months ago today was the day when friends would gather, friends who shared a common experience half a world away all those many years ago.

And it was my intention to attend, except life got in the way. I had to work; I was scheduled and that's just the way things go sometimes. When I returned I saw pictures posted on Facebook and I hope it's okay that I used some of them in this post. Around 30 1/2 years ago I met four of these gentlemen, the four standing beginning from the shortest and moving right.

We all found ourselves living together in a type of school, but unlike any educational institution on earth. It's a center where men, women and married couples train to become missionaries. I remember that day. I remember saying "goodbye" to my mom and sister and entering an new world--literally.

We ate together, learned to speak/read the Danish language together, and we learned what it meant to become a representative of Jesus Christ. We did this for ten weeks.

There were six of us, five men (boys, really...), and a woman. It's safe to say that when we climbed aboard a van that took us from the unique school, we had learned more about ourselves than we did the Gospel, or the Danish language, or the Danish people.

We try to reunite when we can. I attended last year's reunion and I had a blast seeing old friends (we're really old now...) and reminiscing about the times we spent together those many years ago.

Tonight some of those special people gathered. I was unable to attend. I'm sure they had a lot of fun.

Det er jo kun en liden stund,
så er vort løb til ende,
og døden er jo kun et blund,
som vi fra søvnen kende,
og hvilen, vi alt smagte her,
vi ved, er mer end møjen værd;
hvad da, når vi skal kvæde:
Nu evig er vor glæde!

What's The Danish Word For Love?

A friend of mine decided a few weeks back to fly to Seattle and buy some pastry. It was on a Friday. Now, I can count on one hand the number of times I've flown on a plane since 1987 so booking a trip for pastry seems a bit extravagant. 

And so I asked him, when I saw him the following evening, "You just flew to Seattle for pastry?" And he responded, "Sometimes I get bored on Fridays."

My friend bought several hundred dollars worth of treats and brought them back to for a party, for people he sees regularly and for others he hasn't seen in decades. As the party wound down, he announced to the group the pastry was for us. He wanted us to each take one, take it home to enjoy with our families. Or, I suppose, we could down it on the way home.

I snagged a smorkage, or smørkage, and it took me over a week to finish it. I wanted it to last as long as possible--without it going bad, that is. 

Google translates smørkage as "Butter Cake." To me, smorkage is now Danish for "love." Thanks Jeff. It was sweet.

A Time For Reunions...

Tonight I assembled with friends, many I haven't seen in decades. We met to catch up, to remember the days when we all lived and served in Denmark. When we lived there we were basically kids and grandparents, each there for different reasons, but also for one unifying reason.

In my culture/religion we go on missions. We grow up, especially the young men, thinking about where we'll serve. My friends and I traveled to every corner of the world, basically doing the same thing. And tonight many of us who were called to serve in Denmark gathered. We ate, we visited, we discussed our families and jobs. And by the simple act of being together, we affirmed a love for a country and a people we all miss dearly.

After dinner we posed for a group photo. That's when I grabbed my camera and tried getting some shots. We're older, and (in general...) larger, and a full head of hair has been something many of us can only vaguely remember. But the memories of our days, weeks and years in a land across the ocean binds us in a way nothing else could. Tonight we assembled and memories of our past returned.