Reunion Wrap-Up

So hello to any of my Fairview High School classmates who might have decided to check out the blog.  This is it.  Humble but welcoming!  Like we sing in church, "All are welcome in this place."

The reunion was absolutely awesome!  I had a wonderful time and I think all of my classmates did too.  If you've never been up to Rocky River in the Cleveland area, it's really neat.  The city next to Fairview and our arch rivals in sports, Rocky River abuts Lake Erie and also the Cleveland Metro Parks.  Our reunion was held at one of the nicest venues anywhere -- the Cleveland Yachting Club.  The sailing vessels were in their mooring spots and the evening's weather got better and better.  The sun was peeking out from behind the clouds as we had our picture taken on the balcony.  There was a reserved parking space out front for the "Commodore."

We celebrated that it has been 50 years since we accepted our diplomas.  While our class did have some cliques, they seem to have been all but decimated these days.  Everyone talks to everyone.  Everyone is happy to see everyone!! 

When I was leaving, one of my classmates said it was the best reunion EVER.  And he said he'd spent the evening talking with someone who was not a friend in HS.  In fact, this is what he said, "He beat the ___ out of me all the time.  He was a bad guy.  But it's amazing.  He turned out to be really nice.  I didn't mention our past.  It just didn't seem like the right time." 

The music we made together, singing the fight song and the alma mater was wonderful.  The voices were loud and strong and full of spirit and of collective memories.  There was spontaneous harmony.  The little group we formed of classmates, Jeff and I on guitar and vocals, and three other vocalists  (Jan, Peggy and Terry) was extremely well received and it was a true sing-a-long.  The songs were:  When I'm 64, Eight Days a Week, If I Had a Hammer, and This Land is Your Land.

Classmates came from Texas and California, Upstate New York, Kansas, the D.C. area, and many other places.  There was a farmer who found his calling in the dirt and he loves it.  There was a pediatric surgeon.  The first woman rabbi in the United States and the second in the WORLD.  She said the blessing before our meal.  He couldn't make it but our class can claim the first Brutus Buckeye at OSU.  One of our classmates is in a D.C. choir and she has performed in concerts all over the world, including Russia, and at Carnegie Hall and the Lincoln Center in Washington.  There was a woman who was employed tracking down Nazis for the government, another an expert in Slavic languages.  There was one who is in charge of a showroom for a huge North Carolina furniture company, and she lives in San Clemente, CA.  There were graphic artists, advertising people, a librarian, a television station manager, a retired OSU engineering professor, a calligrapher, and a number of veterans.  We honored those veterans at the end of the reunion with grateful applause. 

One of our teachers was there.  His platoon went into the Battle of the Bulge.  He was the only one who came out unscathed, and he taught at Fairview for years and yes, he shared war stories with us.

The door prizes were wonderful and much appreciated by the winners.  The grand prize was a weekend at a luxury condo in Florida owned by one of our classmates.

It strikes me that a successful life is one where joy is found.  Our classmates seem to have found that joy and it counts so much more than riches or position.

My favorite moment though was this:  Barb, one of my classmates, leaned over and said, "I read your bio.  I take it that you are a Christian."  I said, yes, I am.  She said, "So am I."  And then we truly shared what means the most to us.  Her contribution toward the door prizes was a pair of beautifully hand-painted wine glasses.  I cherish the time we got to spend together.

So my friends, if you are still young enough, encourage your class to make a website.  It has held our class together for all of these years.  It is the lifeline to everything else that follows.  And connect with someone from your class today or this week, or more than one.  When it comes time for a reunion, you will absolutely LOVE spending time with these people and see that there are many others too!!

Thank you, God, for a wonderful weekend.  I love my classmates!

And now -- on a somber note -- please pray for our country as we approach the 13th anniversary of 9/11.  We know that there are jets missing from Libya and possibly from elsewhere.  We know that there are terrorists about.  We know that they hate us and want nothing good for us.  Pray, please pray.