A Community for a Lifetime

By Bob Asel

Those were the days…those good old college days. They were filled with a wonderful time of community. We created friendships as we spent time learning, worshipping, growing, and playing together as students and faculty. We were keenly aware of being a part of a unique college community where we were called to live together for a brief period of time. It was an inviting, caring, warm place where we had common experiences and shared pain and memories.

Usually we only have one college community in a lifetime. When we leave, we are drawn to new places and new people — places we call home, places where our life work is fulfilled. When we are led to new places, geographically or spiritually, we create new friendships and communities.

There seems to be a nostalgic longing for a time when communities were stronger, more secure, and predictable. Today we experience less face-to-face interactions. We live with voice mail, e-mails, computer answering systems, and garage door openers that move us away from personal conversations. We order food, clothes, and a myriad of things on the phone or computer. We miss the personal touch, warmth, caring, and humor of someone who “knows” us and we “know” them.

Anderson is rich in memories for me. It is a unique place where I spent four years in community with those who shared a journey. I met people whom I loved dearly then and still do today.

So let’s keep connected. Come back to Homecoming and other university events. Come back to people and a place where a look or a laugh says it all. Homecomings are not always journeys into the past but often journeys toward a future in which we enjoy old friends and build new relationships. We all have a journey ahead of us. We’ve got to go together. We better stay together.