I got a note from my friend Becky Wright Mitchell a few days ago asking about our 40th high school reunion. It took a second to digest that. Can that be? It really doesn't seem that long ago when we were walking down the isle.
I can remember graduation day at the old Dora High School in May of 1968 like it was yesterday. We were all milling about behind the auditorium signing yearbooks and saying our goodbyes. We all had every intention of staying in touch and getting together frequently but that never happened. Sure I saw some of my old classmates in the grocery store or on the highway driving back and forth to work, but we all drifted apart.The last successful reunion we had was almost a non-event. I asked two of the class leaders about planning the reunion. One said "we're waiting until we lose some weight." I thought as I walked away "that ain't gonna happen." So I went home and contacted everyone I knew and told them we were meeting. After everyone got together and started going through the yearbook and started contacting old classmates, it took on a life of its own and it turned out successfully.
No matter how well a reunion is planned, there are people who will come and some that won't. There are a lot of reasons people won't participate. Some won't come because they are divorced, some have gained weight and some have lost their hair. Some people think it's a bragfest and the truth is, there are those who come to reunions to show others just how far they have come.
And for some, High School was not Nirvana. Kids can be cruel and if you're not "in" then you are "out" and that can be hard for some kids to bare. If someone has a bad experience in school, they carry that with them throughout their lives. I wish that weren't true, but it is.
My wish for our 40th reunion is that everyone can get together and celebrate life and enjoy each other for what we have become.
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