Last night I attended my 50th High School Class Reunion. It was extremely well-planned and everything went beautifully. Classmates reacquainted themselves with other students that some had not seen since graduation. Some of us had friends who lived in the same town, while others travelled from far away. Many of us needed those specially-made tags with our names and faces from our graduation photos on them. Regardless, it was a time of memories shared, with smiles, laughter, and some wistful moments of remembrance of those who had passed on.
It was refreshing to see people from our past who may have not been friends in high school be so friendly and happy to see each other. Now, after 50 years, there were no cliques, or affiliation with sports or clubs that may have separated us and consumed our time and thoughts then. Now, there were only happily surprised and friendly faces looking to reconnect after the passing of so many years of our varied lives.
How wonderful to see nothing but comradery among us. How amazing to see all of our differences meld together into an incredible mosaic of our collective lives. It was so good to see old friends that I had not seen since graduation and hear about their lives. I also enjoyed connecting with people I barely knew, but recognized because of their pictures on their name tags. Easy conversation flowed because the passing of years somehow took away some of the hesitation caused by shyness or fear of rejection one might have had when we walked the halls of our school.
For me, the passing of years had removed the awkwardness I’d felt at times when I compared myself to others and focused on the talents I did not have. Maturity, life experiences and a sense of humor has made me comfortable in my own skin. There are definite advantages to growing older, sloughing off our inhibitions, and growing into the people we are meant to be. Reunions can draw attention to all the blessings in our lives. They do for me. And I am so grateful.
Lora, my dear friend and classmate, this is so beautifully and perfectly written and expressed! What an awesome weekend we all experienced. Much love to you!
Thank you so much for all your appreciation and words of kindness and encouragement. I really love that you relate your comments to me so often. Love you too!
Lora, you are so “right on” and eloquent in describing how I’m sure we all felt over this past reunion weekend. It was wonderful to see and visit with everyone. Thank you also for sharing your beautiful voice leading us in song during Mass Saturday afternoon. Your efforts ensured complete (and enthusiastic) participation of all.
Thank you for your kind words. I so appreciate your commenting. You have given me more praise than I could possibly deserve. But I appreciate the encouragement very much. I loved being able to sing and appreciated the opportunity!
Perfectly said!!
Thanks 🙏 Lora!!
Thank you Diane! I really appreciate it. And especially thanks for your response!
You got it all right. Forgetting what may had fragmented us in the past and simply sharing a 4 year experience made it a truly joyful experience . It was a pleasure working with my fellow committee member and the Marian staff. God bless you all and I wish we could do it every year.
Thanks Frank! I agree with you. I appreciate all the work you and the committee did. And thanks for commenting!
Even though I couldn’t attend I could feel those feelings by reading the posts and viewing the photos.
Hi Kevin! Thanks for responding. I was surprised to realize just how nice it was to see everyone, even people I had barely known while at Marian. I guess it’s one of the great things about getting older. I am sorry you couldn’t be there. I would have loved to talk with you.