30 Years and Counting.

Time.   60 seconds in a minute.   60 minutes in an hour.  24 hours in a day.   7 days in a week.  12 months in a year.   Time passes us by as we fill our days with family, friends, and careers.   Memories are what we cherish and reflect as we grow older.  Time... passes and before you know it... 30 years has gone by with the blink of an eye.    This past week-end was my 30 year high school reunion.   Most of you are thinking... IMPOSSIBLE, right?  Yes, it's hard for me to believe that 30 years has gone by from the day I threw the cap and tassle in the air and ventured out into the real world.    Sometimes, when you leave high school, you lose contact with those that you spent 12 years in training to prepare you for greatness.   Sometimes... you don't and those friendships are carried into your adult life and you grow old together.

Whichever happens, a reunion provides the opportunity to reconnect and see how 30 years has changed the lives of those around us.  I didn't attend the 10 year or the 20, so ... for me... going back after 30 was strange.  I didn't know what to expect.   There were a number of individuals who worked really hard to create a complete reunion week-end... and kudos to those guys.   They spent several months and countless hours planning, coordinating and finally executing all of the activities.  They really made the effort to make the whole week-end quite special and they did with great success.    I was out of town for several of the activities and hate I missed out on all the fun.   I'm always up for a great party... especially when it's one where you can actually let loose and say you survived for 30 years.

 My high school class had about 114 in it when we graduated.   Its hard to believe that after 30 years, you would remember faces, but the amazing thing is when you walk into the room... you recognize so many... even without the name tags.  (It's a good thing, too because I couldn't keep mine on... the magnet kept falling down my dress making for a very interesting night! )

I met up with two of my best friends from high school prior to going to the reunion.  I guess you could say... we had a pre-reunion party.   We laughed and one cried, but the result was exactly as I thought it would be... fun.   We had a great time catching up.   We looked at some old photos and personally, I don't think we've changed a bit.  Well, okay... maybe we've gotten a little older, a little wiser but deep inside, we are the same girls from high school.  Thirty years... had been good to all of us.  

As we arrived at the event, it was strange seeing familiar faces that you spent 12 years of your life with who had gone on to live their lives and do amazing things.    The reality is we had all become adults yet in so many ways, we were still those 17 year olds with dreams.    Time.  It passes us by and we can't make it stand still.   We live each day to the fullest, set our goals and reach for our dreams.  We blink... and 30 years has passed and you realize that you're still capable of setting goals and dreams.     Inside each of us are those friendships from high school.  The memories will always be there from the football games, the basketball games, the pep rallies, the science projects, the school newspaper, the sneaking out at night, the sleep-overs, the field trips, the band activities, the break-ups, the crushes... all of those memories are still deep inside each of us.   The night was filled with laughter, tears, stories, dancing, toasts and of course countless photos... all memories to be carried with us for the next 30.  

High school grooms and prepares us for the rest of our lives.  Those 12 years establish our foundation for life.  It's the stage where life long memories play out, both good and bad.    For most of us, it's a foundation that we look back upon fondly.   It's a foundation where we all have certain teachers who were inspiring and mentors to each of us.  It's a time in our lives as we look back that seemed so much simplier than what our own children have now.   We all have friendships that even 30 years can't change.  

So, here's to the Class of 1982 of Lafayette High School and the time we all spent together for 12 years.    May each of you continue to live your lives, find success and happiness and be blessed each and every day.   Time... it never stops but it's up to us.. not to let is pass us by!   Make new memories everyday and the most important thing... have fun and laugh at yourself.