Reunion

Reunion.

A reunion is “a social gathering attended by members of a certain group of people who have not seen each other for some time.”

This year will be my forty-fifth high school reunion. How is that even possible?  I remember attending my ten year reunion, and hoping that although I wasn’t married yet, my two college degrees might be enough clout to prove I’d made it. That first reunion was all about milestones and accomplishments. 

Fast forward twenty years to the thirtieth reunion, and I don’t think anyone even mentioned their accomplishments. We were too busy trying to read each other’s name tags without the use of reading glasses when they dimmed the lights. 

Everyone really seemed to enjoy getting to catch up bragging about children and even a few grandchildren. It was a lot of fun. One classmate even shared that he had liked me back in jr. high. I thanked him for confirming that my view of myself back then might have been wrong. 

Our next reunion was the fortieth, and it included our favorite high school teacher, who to be honest, looked exactly our age. I even had the opportunity to catch up with my best friend from my neighborhood as our paths had not crossed in years. One friend shared an old “note” (the precursor to texting) from our jr. high days that made my night. 

Again everyone seemed to be having a great time. This year will be our forty-fifth, and I’m going into it with a new strategy. Rather than park myself at a table with friends I still see on a regular basis, I’m going to make a point to go around, and touch base with some new high school friends. 

Due to the wonders of Face Book I have been able to reconnect with many of my high school classmates that I didn’t know very well while in school. What I love about our class is we are always there to offer support and encouragement to each other. 

The other reality is that we are not getting any younger, and we really don’t know who will still be here for our fiftieth reunion. If you are hesitant to attend for any reason I sure hope you might reconsider. I always thought our class of 1974 was pretty special, and just like our musical reminded us that year:

“Don’t let it be forgot

That once there was a spot

For one brief shining moment that was known

As Camelot.”

Hope to see each and everyone of you at this year’s reunion.