A Reunion 30 Years in the Making
I went to my 30th college reunion this weekend at Charleston Southern. When I went to college there in the dark ages, it was Baptist College at Charleston.
I’d been debating for some time whether to go or not. After 30 years apart, my college sweetheart and I had “reconnected†about a year ago and we had talked about the reunion on and off over the past year. His brother and wife also went there with us and we had lots of great memories rekindling in our heads about the experience.
After some long – and often lively – discussions, we decided we would go. After all, we agreed, we would not have the chance again for a 30th college reunion together.
When we were students at the college, he and his brother were on the track team. They both excelled in track events and had been recruited from New Jersey to be part of the team. I transferred in after a two year stint at junior college in my hometown.
Beyond the thoughts of those times together, there were also recollections of fellow classmates we hadn’t seen in well over 30 years. I pulled my yearbook out last week and was in hopes we would see many of the faces there.
It was homecoming weekend and the grounds were festive. Lots of floats for the parade, a pre-game tailgate party, and football game, and a reunion gathering afterwards was planned.
The weather was perfect.
It didn’t take long to find some of our classmates from 1976. We all looked a bit different – but in many ways even better than we did when we were young. We showed pictures, met some of our families, and talked about our lives over the last 30 years.
At the football game, a young college age boy came up and sat beside me. After awhile I figured he was there alone and started talking with him. He was a freshman nursing major and made it a habit to attend the games regularly. I was fortunate enough to talk with him on and off during the game. We talked about how the college was alike and different then and now. I wished him well in his classes and gave him a card. “Columbia needs good nurses.†I explained to him. “Keep us in mind when you’re looking for a job after you graduate.†I sure appreciated our conversation and hope he will keep in touch.
It was great to see everyone. We also missed some of the ones we didn’t see there. The pleasure of being at college again was a reminder of the wonderful times we had on that campus. It was some of the best times of my life…those college years.
My wish for you today is that you always take the opportunity to go to reunions and savor moments from the past. It’s good to see what others are doing now, how they have walked down their path in life and how memories have been shaped and changed over times.
~Joellen