My guess is that people who are trained in a particular area of study carry that skill throughout retirement, but I had no idea how it related to high school reunions. I am credentialed in the understanding of grief and loss as my gift that tags along with me.
Recently, I attended a reunion of our Martinsburg (WV) High School Class of 1971 to celebrate our collective 70th birthdays in 2023, my first reunion since 2006.
Armed with my superb fruit salad as my covered dish, I none-the-less approached my classmates with a bit of apprehension knowing I have not seen the great majority of these people in many years. I was greeted by a woman who immediately said, “I know you, Robin!” I had not yet fastened my nametag! I did recognize the hospitable woman’s name so I felt justified to say, “Hi, Marva, so good to see you!”
Before long I was shaking hands and hugging folks. The next person I encountered wore a button with a photo of another woman. Without introducing herself, she introduced the woman on the button as a friend since grade school who accompanied her to all of the high school reunions. With a shaking voice and a tear or two, she shared that her friend had died recently. I spent a few minutes listening to her talk about her friend. She wanted her friend’s memory to be present. I acknowledged her courage in attending the reunion and asked if the event felt bittersweet. She nodded as I thanked her for sharing the story of her friend and wished her a great time.
Throughout the reunion I heard about families impacted by family illnesses and of many personal illnesses and/or injuries. A teammate from our high school golf team, for instance, told me he could not play golf anymore because of wrist and shoulder problems. This was a real loss since this friend was a great golfer!
The reunion organizing team asked for our attention and requested we head toward the stage area where a few pictures would be taken. I noticed that several classmates needed assistance to mount the two-step stage and needed the same assistance for the dismount. Fortunately, there were no injuries as there was a committed group of steady arms positioned along the stairs. Clearly, our Class had lost some mobility over the past seventy years.
I found the reunion to be fun and the classmates extremely friendly. Reminiscing about our eighteen-year-old selves with these good friends was wonderful. I think sharing the realization of our comparable lifestyle changes and losses was helpful for us all. There was a great deal of empathy for the losses we may have felt about our stories and current physical conditions.
My advice to anyone wondering if they should go to a high school reunion would be positive. In general, folks are dealing with many of the similar joys and struggles. Although not exactly the same there was understanding and acceptance.
Throughout this At Peace blog, I have shared examples of walking with others and showing empathy. I was pleased to be part of these good practices at our reunion.May the Class of ’71 and the readers of the blog be At Peace!
At Peace 