Last night we caught up with a friend I knew from school and university days. Margaret found my name in Old Friends – an online reunion service in New Zealand. The last time we saw each Margaret was 20 years ago at our wedding in Invercargill. As we arrived for dinner the first thing remarked upon was ‘you haven’t changed much’. But then the not so visible changes emerged.
I took a bottle of wine for dinner last night. At university I had a more staunch approach to alcohol, still cautious about the dangers of following in the footsteps of an alcoholic father. I think back then, in the early 80s, I was also careful to follow the expectations of Southland/Otago Evangelical circles.
What changed all that? I remember sitting in a Presbytery meeting that was getting stewed up about policies on alcohol and smoking. And then one of my colleagues, hailing from the Netherlands, pointed out that this attitude was clearly shaped by ethnic and cultural backgrounds. On the European Continent, he remarked, no one would think twice if the pastor lit up a cigar and enjoyed the occasional lager. That was a freeing moment for me.
So last night we enjoyed a red wine.
Old Friends
www.oldfriends.co.nz