With heartfelt thanks…
…to the members of the Class of ’69 who shared a few hours of their lives, their triumphs, and their personal tragedies with me last night, and especially to the committee that organized the successful 40th class reunion…
Forty years is a long time. I was able to attend the 10th reunion with my wife, but no other gathering. The 40th was, of course, different. The heterogeneous group of people there has developed the complexity of fine, vintage wines. I was delighted to see them, some after 30, but many after 40, years.
Of course there were many surprises! Some of the folks who I felt certain would be there were not, and some of the folks who I thought that I would never see again were present. I tried to avoid arriving early, but when I arrived 10 minutes early, the parking lot was occupied by groups of people who could not wait! Let the reunion begin!
I wanted to wring every last drop of enjoyment out of the meeting, so I stayed until the very end. A CD that was distributed reminded me why. On the back were the high-school photos of those class members who would never be able to attend a class reunion again. I was glad that there were so few, but still there were too many. Death spares none of us; the only question is “when?” We have the present, and we need to make the most of that.
It amazed me the way a few folks looked very much the same as in my memories of them. Sadly, there were some close friends whom I could not recognize, even after careful examination of their eyes, the “windows of the soul” that seem to stay the same as everything else ages. Some folks thought that I had changed greatly. I hope so. At the same time, perhaps they did not know me as well as they thought, or perhaps I concealed too much. “The more things change, the more they remain the same.”
There was talk of another reunion in 10 years. I hope that all of the class of ’69 who attended or could have attended the 40th will be alive to have the same option on the occasion of the 50th.
All that I will say is, “Thanks, again!” I hope to be able to attend the next one, but I savored the 40th and wish all of you the very best in the next 10 years of your lives.
-Bill at Cheshire Cat Photo™
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