Reunion
Reunion
Have you been to one? Family, neighborhood, work, school? What a wonderfully awkward time. I must say we all looked nearly the same i.e. 40 years has not so completely disfigured our faces and bodies that we could, at a minimum, recognize the person! For many of us it was a series of internal musings:
I know we went to school together.
I know I recognize your face.
I can't remember why.
Did we like each other?
Were we friends, frenemies or strangers?
Do you still act the same, and if so, is that a good or bad thing?
I watched the room full of former students, whether strangers or best friends, return for our 40th high school reunion. I heard stories of joy, accomplishment, change, tragedy and sorrow. I saw some that were in the middle of their own personal battles. I learned of a couple that kept their circumstance unspoken despite the impact on them emotionally or physically. The stories of life, work, relationships and hopes for the future were telling of each life journey. So what do we take away from a reunion weekend that only happens every 10 years? A few observations for me:
Time flies!
We all had ‘life’ change us.
Some have lost someone (children, spouses, marriages, parents or others) they love.
Some have traveled to far away places though they long to be home.
Some have sacrificed to care for others.
Several gave up their own dreams to help someone else achieve theirs.
Some have retired or celebrated a life change.
And there are those who have remained exactly the same!
So one can be sure of this: we remember good times from school, we might forget the details, life has happened to us all, we have experienced many different journeys, there is some amazing strength in the class, we can't judge the books by their covers, we all know who Bob Hope and Carol Burnett are, we will always have a Warrior connection, we don't know the heartache or difficulties each has faced, school did not teach us about caring for our parents, we don't see as well as we did at 18, we talk about things now we never would have mentioned in school, we have all made it this far, only time will tell what is next, we will always be #wshsclassof78
jlg (C) 7/22/18
Have you been to one? Family, neighborhood, work, school? What a wonderfully awkward time. I must say we all looked nearly the same i.e. 40 years has not so completely disfigured our faces and bodies that we could, at a minimum, recognize the person! For many of us it was a series of internal musings:
I know we went to school together.
I know I recognize your face.
I can't remember why.
Did we like each other?
Were we friends, frenemies or strangers?
Do you still act the same, and if so, is that a good or bad thing?
I watched the room full of former students, whether strangers or best friends, return for our 40th high school reunion. I heard stories of joy, accomplishment, change, tragedy and sorrow. I saw some that were in the middle of their own personal battles. I learned of a couple that kept their circumstance unspoken despite the impact on them emotionally or physically. The stories of life, work, relationships and hopes for the future were telling of each life journey. So what do we take away from a reunion weekend that only happens every 10 years? A few observations for me:
Time flies!
We all had ‘life’ change us.
Some have lost someone (children, spouses, marriages, parents or others) they love.
Some have traveled to far away places though they long to be home.
Some have sacrificed to care for others.
Several gave up their own dreams to help someone else achieve theirs.
Some have retired or celebrated a life change.
And there are those who have remained exactly the same!
So one can be sure of this: we remember good times from school, we might forget the details, life has happened to us all, we have experienced many different journeys, there is some amazing strength in the class, we can't judge the books by their covers, we all know who Bob Hope and Carol Burnett are, we will always have a Warrior connection, we don't know the heartache or difficulties each has faced, school did not teach us about caring for our parents, we don't see as well as we did at 18, we talk about things now we never would have mentioned in school, we have all made it this far, only time will tell what is next, we will always be #wshsclassof78
jlg (C) 7/22/18
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