The Image of Myself at Six Years Old

This morning, while reading the Bible, I came across a verse that deeply resonated with me. "All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of the field; the grass withers, and the flower wilts but the word of the Lord remains forever." (1 Peter 1:24-25) It's truly a profound expression, and upon further investigation in the commentary, I found that this passage is quoted from the book of Isaiah.

 

As I repeatedly read and meditated on this verse, it reminded me of a song by the singer Seo Yoo-seok, a song I know well, called "Passing Time." "Can anyone catch the passing time? Can anyone catch the flowing stream? Like children growing up to become adults, in joy and sorrow, we have changed. But one thing remains unchanged. Like birds flying in the sky, even if days pass, the moon goes, and everything changes, my heart will remain eternal."

 

In an attempt to find childhood friends, I posted a message in the elementary school alumni internet cafe. To my surprise, a junior who had been teaching in my hometown provided me with Andrew's phone number who lives in an unspecified location in Gyeonggi-do. When I contacted him, he immediately reached out to several friends. Despite the years that have passed since elementary school graduation, he described me as a friend with curly hair, big eyes, and a beautiful appearance, much like a young girl, and was good at studying. It wasn't bad to hear that I was considered a handsome boy  during my childhood.

 

Another friend Michael sent me an email with a recent photo, and in my response, I sent him a photo taken a few years ago. He then sent me a photo taken in November 1955 when we were in the first grade of elementary school, pointing out, "Your face is just the same as before." While I could barely recognize myself in the photo and struggled to compare the past and present, my friend easily identified the six-year-old face in my current appearance. I could also recognize his past appearance from his recent photo. The traces of the gentle boy who used to avoid fights and not actively hit others were faintly visible on the face of the grandfather he had become.

 

Although my friend said kindly, "Your face is just the same as before," it sounded like nonsense. Both his face and mine have aged, just as the saying goes, "Grass withers, and flowers fall." There is a saying, "No one can defeat time." People forget the truth that "all people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers, and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever."

 

A long time ago, in the middle of the first grade of elementary school, when our homeroom teacher left, a few friends and I took a photo at a photo studio with the inscription "Bidding farewell to our teacher." The cute children with round eyes have now turned into old grandfathers, but the image of my friends in my heart is still pure. I heard that one of the friends passed away a long time ago at the age of the late 20s. In those days when snacks were precious, he was a kind boy who often bought cookies for his friends. It's cruel that he left the world without even giving me a chance to treat him to a meal.

 

Today, as I think about the junior who painstakingly visited the alma mater to confirm school records and finally found a friend's contact, my heart is touched. My junior, who always said, "Be happy every breath," warm-hearted me every time he contacted me, left this world at a young age a long time ago. Why did he leave the world so early? The promise to meet and have a meal together in our hometown is something that should be kept in heaven.