High School Reunion

It is hard to believe it has been 20 years since I graduated from high school.  High school was a good time for me.  I loved high school.  I loved my friends.  I loved being involved.  I loved all of the activities that went along with high school.  I remember being terribly sad when I graduated.... things would never be the same.  Little did I realize they would only get better and I would continue to meet great people that would influence me and enrich my life.   My friendships would grow and expand to include people much older than I and much different.  However, high school was a great basis for me to  develop myself and grow.  I became much more confident than I was in jr. high.

To be honest I wasn't that excited about going to my reunion.  I hadn't been to a reunion since graduation.  I had always been out of state and unable to make it back.  My dear friend Allison, whom also happened to be Senior Class President asked me to help her so I was committed to attending.  I am so glad that I did.  It was a fun, casual evening.  The weather was beautiful and it was so much fun to reconnect with people, many whom I literally had not seen for 20 years.  I have a few close friends that I have kept in touch with, but even those friendships haven't been very consistent or frequent the last 5 years.  Kids and distance have a way of preventing frequent and consistent get togethers.  

Time and maturity bring a new perceptive to people.  I found myself profoundly grateful for my friends.  They were a great influence on me and really helped me.  I also found myself wondering about different people and what their life was like when we were that age.  I realized how little I knew about some of them.  Some of these guys I had attended school with since 1st grade, when we moved to the area.  Twelve years, thousands of hours and I don't know what many of them were going through personally.  However, those that attended must have felt a desire to see old friends and acquaintances

 from high school because of the influence they had on them.  

So much has happened in the last 20 years.  Eight have passed away, three had families, all of them guys.  Some have never married, some are divorced, some have never had children, others have large families, some have adopted, some have never left the area, others have lived all over, some have battled depression, cancer and other serious illnesses.  You just never know what life will bring your way.  Life seemed to be ending back then, and in some ways it was, but so much more was just beginning.  I wonder what the next 20 years will bring.

yes they are both VERY taller than me! :)

These girls were some of my very closest friends.  I love these girls.  I hope that my kids have as good of friends as I did during these pivotal years.