People change over time and that is a fact I have known for a long time. It is only now that I am in a transitional part of my life that I am experiencing it. Some changes that the people in my life have made have surprised me dramatically, others not so much. For me, the oddest thing is the sudden changes people make in their life after a major adjustment such as graduating high school.

I was talking with a friend from high school the other day and we were noticing how many people in our class have changed so drastically. Let me set the scene for you here. This friend and I had attended the same private Christian school and church for our entire lives. Our graduating class was a mix of 47, tight-knit students, most of whom had grown up together. We loved each other but knew we would grow apart as all departing students do, and I think that is why we cherished our time together.

I have spent the last year at Houghton College. When I came out of the “Houghton Bubble” for the summer I had no idea what I was coming home to. I had expected people to have carried out their plans as they had set them at graduation. In reality, I was one of the few that did. Many of my classmates bailed on their plans last minute. Many just simply changed majors in college.

The most surprising thing for little old sheltered me was the lifestyle changes that some people made. Of course, I expected a few people in my graduating class to not go the traditional route, but I didn’t realize that even the people that seem to have a path already laid out for them can go a different route. My point is that once you are on your own and are free to make your own choices you end up changing whether it be, small or large. For instance my small change was that I learned to be a little more outgoing, believe it or not.

As I look at this year’s graduating class I wonder where they will end up. Two students are joining me at Houghton and I couldn’t be more excited. I also turned to my one friend who will be a high school senior this upcoming year. I got the chance to talk to him about all the changes the people in my class have made. He was nearly as blown away as I was.

All in all, I still love the people in my graduating class. I may not agree with all their decisions, but I don’t have to. They will live their life and I will live mine, and if they intersect that’s great. Just because we chose different ways of living doesn’t mean we can’t be friends. Yes, maybe I will look at them in a different light and it might affect how our relationship is but it won’t keep me from them.