“But when the fulness of the time was come...” (Galatians 4:4)
On Saturday night, I attended my 35th year high school reunion. Even as I write that line, it seems surreal. It SEEMED like I would always be young; I certainly could NEVER imagine being over 50- yet, here I am! It’s quite an experience to see the “kids” you went to high school (and in many cases, elementary school) with- as a bunch of 53-year-olds! (Well, yeah, a few are 54 and a few are 52).
I went to my 5 year reunion, but then I didn’t attend any reunions until the 25th. It had seemed that Canton High School was so long ago that all those memories and THAT Bob Baril should just be locked in a historical vault in some dimension between time and space. In 1997, though, it just seemed right to go to my 25th reunion, and it was. THAT reunion was held in a spacious “function room” kind of facility in Canton. I thought it was kind of a classy event. It was neat to talk to Rick B. who’d been in my homeroom from 7th through 12th grade. He had become an F.B.I. Agent, living in the D.C. area. A girl I’d “liked” in the 6th Grade was married and had twins. The “cool” kids seemed less cool, and the nerds seemed a lot cooler. The saddest part of THAT reunion was learning of those who had died. I found out that Katie N. who was probably the nicest, sweetest person in our class had been murdered on the west coast by a deranged ex-boyfriend. My best friend in 6th grade had died of A.I.D.S. The co-captain of the football team had hung himself in a jail cell.
Saturday night it struck me how much OLDER 53-year-olds look in comparison to 43-year-olds! Well, in all fairness, a few people, particularly females, looked fabulous. One woman looked 35, several others looked 40. I don’t know if they’ve had plastic surgery or what! Most looked 50-ish, and a few could have passed for 70! THIS reunion was held in a small and crowded bar & grille. I was surprised at the venue. It WAS loud and crowded. I liked the 1997 venue much better. It was still good to see the old classmates. Glenn T. had been a fairly popular and very athletic kid. He suffered a spinal cord injury seventeen years ago which has left him paralyzed from the waist down. Glenn has been very active in the cause of reaching out to and encouraging those who have suffered spinal cord injuries. Still athletic, he’s played wheelchair ice hockey! I didn’t even know there WAS such a thing! Glenn has become a very inspirational guy. I was very impressed by his positive spirit and contagious enthusiasm.
Most of my peers have grown children (like me) and many are grandparents (not yet for me!). Some are the parents of preschoolers. I’m glad my youngest is 21!
The F.B.I. agent was not present, and I did not see the girl I liked in 6th grade. I DID see Danny F. who used to sit near me in junior high school. I had not seen nor heard anything of him since our graduation. Danny says I “gave him the answers” to a lot of stuff in junior high. I don’t remember that, but I probably did.
People do a lot of drinking at reunions. I didn’t see anybody who was too drunk or anything like that, but one woman (I COULDN’T see her name tag) made it a point to tell me how “smart, classy, and sweet” I was in school. That blew me away. I really WASN’T all that smart in school! I wondered if she’d had too much to drink, but maybe not! I wasn’t real confident around girls in high school, but if I’d have known stuff like that, well, maybe I would have been!
Ten years went by like nothing. That ten years seemed like one. Come to think of it, the 35 years seem more like 5! My father used to ask, “Where does the time go?” I wonder that, myself!
On Saturday night, I attended my 35th year high school reunion. Even as I write that line, it seems surreal. It SEEMED like I would always be young; I certainly could NEVER imagine being over 50- yet, here I am! It’s quite an experience to see the “kids” you went to high school (and in many cases, elementary school) with- as a bunch of 53-year-olds! (Well, yeah, a few are 54 and a few are 52).
I went to my 5 year reunion, but then I didn’t attend any reunions until the 25th. It had seemed that Canton High School was so long ago that all those memories and THAT Bob Baril should just be locked in a historical vault in some dimension between time and space. In 1997, though, it just seemed right to go to my 25th reunion, and it was. THAT reunion was held in a spacious “function room” kind of facility in Canton. I thought it was kind of a classy event. It was neat to talk to Rick B. who’d been in my homeroom from 7th through 12th grade. He had become an F.B.I. Agent, living in the D.C. area. A girl I’d “liked” in the 6th Grade was married and had twins. The “cool” kids seemed less cool, and the nerds seemed a lot cooler. The saddest part of THAT reunion was learning of those who had died. I found out that Katie N. who was probably the nicest, sweetest person in our class had been murdered on the west coast by a deranged ex-boyfriend. My best friend in 6th grade had died of A.I.D.S. The co-captain of the football team had hung himself in a jail cell.
Saturday night it struck me how much OLDER 53-year-olds look in comparison to 43-year-olds! Well, in all fairness, a few people, particularly females, looked fabulous. One woman looked 35, several others looked 40. I don’t know if they’ve had plastic surgery or what! Most looked 50-ish, and a few could have passed for 70! THIS reunion was held in a small and crowded bar & grille. I was surprised at the venue. It WAS loud and crowded. I liked the 1997 venue much better. It was still good to see the old classmates. Glenn T. had been a fairly popular and very athletic kid. He suffered a spinal cord injury seventeen years ago which has left him paralyzed from the waist down. Glenn has been very active in the cause of reaching out to and encouraging those who have suffered spinal cord injuries. Still athletic, he’s played wheelchair ice hockey! I didn’t even know there WAS such a thing! Glenn has become a very inspirational guy. I was very impressed by his positive spirit and contagious enthusiasm.
Most of my peers have grown children (like me) and many are grandparents (not yet for me!). Some are the parents of preschoolers. I’m glad my youngest is 21!
The F.B.I. agent was not present, and I did not see the girl I liked in 6th grade. I DID see Danny F. who used to sit near me in junior high school. I had not seen nor heard anything of him since our graduation. Danny says I “gave him the answers” to a lot of stuff in junior high. I don’t remember that, but I probably did.
People do a lot of drinking at reunions. I didn’t see anybody who was too drunk or anything like that, but one woman (I COULDN’T see her name tag) made it a point to tell me how “smart, classy, and sweet” I was in school. That blew me away. I really WASN’T all that smart in school! I wondered if she’d had too much to drink, but maybe not! I wasn’t real confident around girls in high school, but if I’d have known stuff like that, well, maybe I would have been!
Ten years went by like nothing. That ten years seemed like one. Come to think of it, the 35 years seem more like 5! My father used to ask, “Where does the time go?” I wonder that, myself!
1 comment:
don't freak about getting old... pretty soon you'll be able to order from the senior menues and stuff and everything will be cheaper
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