More than 40 years have passed since we walked the halls of our old High School. The reunion was coming up and I was anxious, wondering if I should attend. I missed the last two years of High School with them and in a way I didn't feel like I really belonged to the group. As I read the correspondence back and forth with the various "kids" on the Internet yahoo group I still wasn't sure if I would go to the reunion.
I decided to drive the five hours to attend the "Girls Night Out" the night before the reunion. I was more anxious to go to that than the actual reunion. As I left my husband at my mother's home with the parting words "I'll probably be back in an hour or so", I went out the door hesitantly with much anticipation and some dread. What if they didn't remember me, what if I was the only one who didn't fit in?
As I arrived at the home of Linda a girl I grew up with who had lived just a few blocks away I noticed the balloons in the back of a very lovely brown brick home. I was greeted by Linda whom I would not have recognized had I seen her on the street. She had grown into a beautiful woman no longer the young girl I remembered. There were a couple of other "girls" there who told me their names and we said our polite hellos. The others arrived shortly after, an assortment of sizes and faces, a total of fifteen women. I searched each face looking for that little thread of recognition from so long ago.
Valerie arrived, dear cheerleader Valerie whom I had gone through grade school and Junior High associating with. She still had the pretty long blond hair and cute figure. I recognized her immediately, still the sweet and popular Valerie.
We sat at two separate tables and visited while we ate. I sat at the smaller table with some of the girls I remembered. We started talking about grade school, Valerie commenting about a play we had been in and I started singing a song I remembered from one of our plays. As I started singing the other girls joined in with huge smiles and sung with me a song I have sung so many times since while remembering us up on the stage in our cute outfits dancing and singing for our parents.
We spoke of climbing the ropes in gym class and of other experiences that we had shared together. I started of feel that even though I might have missed out on the very last of the school experience with them that our time shared together had bonded us in some way. I felt at ease and was happy that I had made the journey to meet with them once again.
We went inside Linda's beautiful home to the comfortable living room where we sat in a circle facing each other. We talked for a brief time when Linda suggested we tell of what we have been doing with our lives. One by one the woman shared their experiences in life since they left the confines of High School life.
I listened in amazement to the experiences I heard. Some told of bad marriages, deceased husbands and parents. Others of financial problems, three of them had suffered the effects of cancer. Some were still married to their early sweethearts. Each had a story to tell, some or triumph and others of hardship and failure. Through all of this I could see what amazing women they had become. One a writer, one a brilliant computer programmer, others successful in business, a principle and happy mothers with wonderful husbands. I can't tell all the stores as they were private yet shared with girls they had shared so much within the past. Adding up all of our posterity thus far we counted over a hundred and fifty descendants.
It as truly amazing to have been able to see and share a brief but I should say healing time with these women. Growing up I thought I was the only one who had problems or should I say what a child and young woman would consider problems. After listening to these women I realized I wasn't the only one who struggled at times, that we didn't all live the perfect life but we have lived a life where we have become stronger because of our experiences and trials.
I feel truly blessed to have had the experience of once again associating with the wonderful people I shared my early life with. They helped to shape me into the woman I have finally become.
I went to the reunion the next night for the entire class and was greeted by the girls I had seen the night before. I would look at my former classmate's faces to see if I recognized them and then the name tab but after a short time I started looking at the name tab first and then the face. We had changed, but hopefully most if us for the better.
When I have the opportunity to go to another class reunion I won't hesitate but will look forward to again seeing and sharing with the friends I grew up with.
