A very dear friend got married this past weekend.
We were inseparable pals in our teens and I guess you could say we were as close as 2 brothers could be.. but my dark years arrived and I walked out of church that one fateful day some 20 years ago. For some reason, we never kept in touch.. in hindsight, I guess I did not because i did not want the onus of having to explain why i was no longer going to church. I was filled with so much anger with the things and people around me. The years passed and we carried on with our lives.
Now that the family’s back in Singapore and more importantly, back in church, we see each other a lot more frequently. Each time I see him, I am sometimes filled with much regret for all those ‘lost’ years and I sometimes wonder what things would have been like if I had never started down the “rebellion against all authority” road and left the church. He now has his own life, hobbies and events in his life that i never knew about and was never a part of.. his own circle of friends that i am not familiar with. Yet, when we interact, it is as if we were never apart and those years in between were but a pause… we seem to have so much in common and we are slowly becoming close friends again.. i hope. I guess I am slowly discovering the qualities of a dear friend again.. one who is unknowingly the personification of what i feel I should be in my personal life and in my walk with the Lord.
When I heard he was getting married, I gladly offered him my help and when Shern did ask me to help him with the tea reception at his church wedding, I was glad and jumped at the opportunity. I was happy to be a part of such an important occasion in a dear friend’s life. I feel a little sadness now at having to ‘share’ my friend with so many others in his life but I’m also overjoyed that he has found a companion and life-long partner. I must admit i don’t know Angela, his wife, too well even though she started attending church during the time while i was there as a youth.. The couple complement each other and my observations of her from afar lead me to the only logical conclusion that she really is THE ONE for him.. I’ve truly never seen him happier… not that the couple need my approval:p
The start of this new phase in his life is but the start of yet another thing i will be endeavouring to observe and learn from.. that of being a loving husband, a caring father and the head of a faithful Christian family. I only hope that Angela will, with time, grow to become a part of that unique friendship between Shern and I.
Shern & I
Shern & Angela’s wedding were held on 19th of July 2008 at Woodlands Evangelical Free Church. Congratulations to the new couple and my heartfelt best wishes to both Angela and Shern on their new life together.
