Wow, this weekend was my 10 year High School Reunion. I wasn't going to go because I was chicken. Friday night some of my HS friends called and were asking why I wasn't coming and giving me a hard time because I live in town and wasn't going and they came in from other states. Point made so Saturday I sucked it up and went. We did a tour of good old Lubbock High Saturday morning then a picnic at the park. That night some of us ended up going to dinner. It was good to see so many. Here are some things that struck me....
1. People are sweet. It is so true. It was great to see how happy we all were for eachother. All of our lives look very different. It is interesting to me. But, we are all so happy that the others got the lives they wanted.
2. 10 years is a long time. Over 80 % of the people there are either doctors, engineers, or lawyers. Granted, I went to a high school that is known for academics and few schools in the state can touch us in the number of National Merit Finalists, SAT scores, and acceptance to prestigious universities, but still knowing that the girl I sat next to in Biology is now a Pediatric Surgeon, our class president is a white collar crime political attorney in DC and living 2 blocks from the white house, or the guy that made our contraband unofficial senior shirts can now deliver children blows my mind.
3. There are a lot of gay/lesbian/bisexual people that I graduated with and even a guy who had some surgery and is now a girl. Because I live in Lubbock, I forget that sometimes. I was reminded this weekend what a sheltered city I live in and how rare it is to be open about that here.
4. There is something special about seeing people you were kids with having kids. It was great to play with some of my friends' children and see what great parents they are now. It was fun hearing the girl I was in Kindergarten with talking about her son starting kindergarten this fall. Wow.
5. Time heals so much. I can remember classmates going through traumatic divorces of their parents, giving up children for adoption, losing loved ones, and a million life altering moments. It is amazing what they look like 10 years down the road and how they have moved on from it all. People really are so resilient and I firmly believe that God is there through it all.
6. Faith...so many lost their faith. It broke my heart. Friends that were active in youth groups and churches then are not now and it made me sad. I wondered what happened and where it all changed. At the same time, I have so much faith and hope that they will come in contact with Christ's love again.
7. Change happens. Next year, LHS has an enrollment of over 2400! That is a lot for Lubbock area. A LOT! I can't believe it. There were 1500 when I was there and now there are 2400. The halls are one way too. What is that? The gymnastics gym is now the library, the library is computer rooms, and so on and so forth. The world is an ever changing place and schools are no exception.
8. Some things never change. The auditorium seats are still uncomfortable, the halls still smell like school, the pictures hanging on the wall are still there, and it is still the place where I have so many memories.
I know this post was tedious to most of you. Some of you out there went to LHS so you maybe understand more, some of you hit your HS reunion this year too and maybe you sympathize. Either way, it was a good weekend of remembering some of the people who saw you through some great moments and some lousy ones. Either way, "once a Westerner, always a Westerner".
IHGB #342: The Tortured Poets Department
1 week ago
5 comments:
i attended my high school 10 year reunion last fall and it was fun, depressing, and enlightening all at the same time. Very few had ventured out from my small hometown--which made my residence in Texas seem slightly impressive. I was shocked by the number of people who were divorced and remarried already. One girl had been divorced twice and was on her third marriage. Yikes!
Glad you had a fun time.
I didn't know about all the changes at LHS- I may have to go look around sometime. I'm glad you went. I found my reunion to be very interesting to see those who had changed a lot and those that hadn't changed at all. Apparently I hadn't changed at all- I was voted least changed. I'm not sure if that was good or bad, but I decided to take it as a compliment.
I am so glad that you went to your reunion. I agree- it is a weird, interesting, fun and depressing experience. 10 years goes so quickly, doesn't it???
My reunion was pitiful.
I'm so impressed how successful your class is. My high school friends and I just discovered this website that shows you pictures of mug shots when people were arrested in our town. We got out our yearbooks and looked everyone up. Literally 90% of our senior class had pictures. So sad. My high school was NOT known for the academics. The nickname was Boozewell (Boswell High). Sad.
No, I did not have a picture in the mug shots, thank you. :)
Ashley... I am so glad you "sucked it up" and came the reunion! Can you believe how fast those 10 years went by? I was also impressed with our class's accomplishments. Who knew about Ravi? :) I know our lives have changed a lot since then, but most of all I am SO glad that we are still friends. Love you!
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