SAME SMILES, TEN YEARS LATER!
Class reunions aren’t really big events for our family. I know people who never miss one and genuinely enjoy staying in touch with their high school and college friends every year. That’s a special gift to be cherished. Somehow I’ve always found more pleasure in adding those new friendships year by year—and not felt very connected to the person I was in high school and college. Heather and Patrick have also attended only a few class reunions.
The photo on the right is one I took when Heather came home to go to her 10th high school reunion with her friends Tammy and Kim. I had taken the photo on the left in my living room when they were getting ready to graduate from Irmo High School. So I had them pose there again as they were going to their tenth reunion.
By the tenth anniversary, Tammy and Kim were both married, and I think Kim already had her two children. Heather was still a few years away from meeting her Paul! I put the two photos into one picture frame and always loved seeing that their smiles were unchanged!
I only went to one reunion of my high school class—the fortieth! I drove over from South Carolina and stayed with Jerry and Marilyn for the weekend. The event was at the local country club, and Jerry was my date for the evening! He graduated a couple of years after me and had lots of friends in my class. We had a lovely time.
And I only went to one of my college class reunions—the fiftieth. By that time, I’d moved to Nashville and reconnected with several friends from Lipscomb. It was a good evening sharing stories of our college days and remembering those who couldn’t be with us.
It’s a strange feeling to see someone you haven’t seen in many years—and try to discover something in their changed appearance that reminds you of their younger self. Often the smile is what seems most familiar! And that’s a good thing.
Seeing a story 