Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Thoughts on the FHS Class of 68 Reunion

Do you like the new picture? It was taken from the back door of the school cafeteria looking south east.


Roger C's photo captures the glorious Mondak rainbow that hung over the Valley during our Friday night reunion supper. The photo is so sweet because it symbolizes how blessed the reunion was. 

We had no politics or hidden agendas or multi-level marketing schemes. Just smiles and handshakes and hugs and a few tears. So very enjoyable and pleasant, it was hard to leave Saturday and not miss people immediately.

In general: 
Not enough time to visit with everyone. 
Just enough time to embrace old pals;  embarrass the unsuspecting;  ooh-and-awe at photos of grandkids.
Too much time until we meet again.  Maybe five years instead of ten? See you in 2013?

As good as it was, some people were missed. Overlooked forty years ago in school,  the same likely would have happened again if they had come to the reunion. When one was asked why he didn't come, he responded, "They didn't like me then. Why would they like me now?" 

But he is wrong. It is not that we didn't like him. We just didn't know him. We were adolescents then; a treacherous band of teenagers completely wrapped up in ourselves. We are not like that anymore.

Quiet people get overlooked easily despite our best efforts to make everyone feel welcome. And they will stay hidden until someone goes and finds them. Therefore,  call or email the people you didn't see. Reestablish an old friendship. Reach out to a classmate you never really knew. Do it now. Our class has several lonely people who need to know that we missed them.

Please add your comments here. If you are not sure how to post to this site, scroll down to the "Welcome and Start Here" post and read the comment I made there to see how to insert your two-bits to the  conversation.

I will keep posting significant pictures from the old days on the FlickR site. To get to those pix, click on the Class of 1968 link.

I'd like to hear someone's memories of the life in the valley besides mine.

Onward Fairview. 
RCN