Precious Memories

Today I have been humming the old hymn, "Precious Memories", all day and I am sure I know why. Yesterday, May 16, I attended my 50th high school reunion. Some of the verses to the song are:
Precious memories how they linger
How they ever flood my soul.
Precious father, loving mother
Fly across the lonely years
And old home scenes of my childhood
In fond memory appears.
As I travel on life's pathway
Know not what the years may hold
As I ponder, hope grows fonder.
Precious memories flood my soul.

I walked into the room where the reunion was being held. I was nervous and unsure of myself. For weeks, everytime I passed a mirror and saw that old gal...overweight, gray on top, and wrinkled, I would say, "I am not going". Thank goodness I decided to put those thoughts and my fears aside and go. I looked around the room and one after another I saw the faces of my classmates. I began to tremble. Never did I guess that I would be affected like I was. My heart started racing and I was overwhelmed. I don't know what made me do it, but, I just started hugging everyone I saw. With one look into their eyes and few words exchanged, I was 17 again. I thought to myself, "I don't usually hug anyone but family." And, then it occured to me...this is my family. We shared four important, life changing years together. We laughed together, we cried together, we learned together, we grew together and, after all, isnt that what a family does. They were like cousins I had not seen in a very long time. Some of the guys looked absolutely shocked when I grabbed them and hugged them because in high school that would not have happened. Back then, some people thought I was distant and others called me, "Stuck up" but nothing could have been further from the truth...I was just simply shy and very very insecure. We don't realize it when we are young and going through it, but, through those years, we really grow to love our classmates. Yes, I love these people...even the ones I thought hated me and a few who were mean to me LOL way back when. But, you know the best thing of all? We decided to meet again in a year. Life happens fast and seeing the six candles burning for those we had lost made me realize that we need to savor and make all the precious memories we can.
Thank you Mary Evelyn for all the hard work you did to make this reunion possible.