I've thought about trekking back to the Island for other reunions that have been arranged (oddly enough, by the same 2 women each time-have to wonder about that type of dedication to the "good old days"). But any motivation was questionable. The only reason I really wanted to go to any of those events was to see whatever happened to.... Did so-and-so lose his hair (which I have from a reliable source, he didn't) or did so-and-so pack on a ton of weight (after she wumped out a bunch of kids with the star quarterback)? I wanted to indulge every pettiness I could muster toward all those cruel and selfish teenagers who had emphasized my awkwardness. Fortunately, the bile that had found it's way into my heart wasn't enough of a reason to make the trip appealing.
This time is different. I'm very excited, in some very positive ways, to go home, to reunite with my classmates.
In every stage of life, everyone has a core group of friends. Some of the peripherals will change over time, but the main strands stand solidly against the years. The high school stage, if you will, shifted with the time passages. The last couple of years have seen a bit of a renewed cohesion. Re-establishing these relationships has been cathartic in certain ways. Building on the old friendship and commonalities, past dreams and and ambitions have be revisited and refined. It's a chance to set those dreams free to fly again, to seek out those dreams of youth. And, it will be so much fun to celebrate the anticipation of the next part of the journey with your new-old friends!
The other reason I'm thrilled to be able to do this, reflects how my life, as well has my perspective, has changed. It shows how my life is happy and I'm more comfortable with myself.
I hope that some of the people with whom I have had peripheral friendships are there, too. I want to know that they've had good lives, good health. I pray that I find that they are also happy. The hurtful people will be invisible to me. They had their glory 30 years ago. My goal will be to find the joy life's given the rest of us these last 30 years.
Hope you have a wonderful weekend! I know I'm going to have one!
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| Niagara Falls-Winter |
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| New Life-Spring |
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| Storm Front-Summer |
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| Rush to the End of the Year- Autumn |
Next week, I'll set up a contact page so we can start a conversation about what special person, place or event I can recreate for you.
For this week, I'll leave you with some of the visions my husband, Mike, has been able to capture on "film". None of his photography is touched up. You see it as he saw it. I hope you enjoy his work as much as I do!
Well, we just had this reunion, and it was an unusually surprising time. Everything I thought might happen at a reunion (sideways glances, inevitable comparisons, smiling-faced sizing-ups) may have happened, but if they did, I didn't see them. What I saw and felt, in a giant wash across the party room and bar area, was warmth. Unabashed, simple, straightforward warmth. I'm thinking that by a thirtieth reunion, life has had sufficient chance to be instructive to everyone. We've all had our joys. And, we've all had our sufferings. And this alone puts such depth in place that a person can't help but become more changed, more elevated, often much much more beautiful. I mixed with everyone. And in almost every encounter, I found that while the shared background of a common high school experience provided the substrate for us being face-to-face, what came next--the warmth, the quiet listening interest, the generosity of the exchange--came because of what we each now brought to the table today--a life lived, lessons learned, and a heart made more open by the passage of instructive time and blessed maturity. It was good to witness all the hearts.
ReplyDeleteOf course, I love the new life -spring photo! Tweet-Tweet!!
ReplyDelete-Stephanie
Sheesh, you're good (understatement!). Wow. What a gift you have. Knock me over with a feather, baby. I love this stuff (I'm awfully fond of that pumpkin, too, among others ...)
ReplyDelete