Meeting Last Night

For two nights in a row, until last night, I didn't sleep very well.  If I didn't know the real reason I would have said I was too warm or the cat was bothering me -- something like that.  The truth is that we have this brown couch that has mysterious and undefinable properties.  We could sell it for thousands and thousands of dollars to someone with insomnia.  The truth is that whenever I sit down on the far left seat and relax for a number of minutes, I end up taking a nap.

So that's why I didn't sleep well.  And last night I slept like a log because I was exhausted.  Last night was a different story, because yesterday afternoon I went to Westlake and first visited with my sister for a while and then went to the Porter Library for our class reunion committee meeting.  We only have one more meeting and then on September 5 and 6, we have the reunion.  People are coming from all over to attend this event, and the first to arrive will be the Tuesday before the reunion. 

Some are staying with classmates and some are staying at the newly renovated hotel in Westlake.  In fact, almost all or all of the rooms we set aside have been taken. 

• One classmate just lost her husband in July and is coming from Texas to see all of us.  Certainly a brave decision, I'd say. 
• We received a contribution towards the reunion from the widow of one of our classmates who just died a couple of months ago.  Can you believe that?  How incredible.  So we are calling her to invite her to come.
• One of our classmates who can't join us was the FIRST Brutus Buckeye at The Ohio State University and here's the kicker.  He was involved in only one extracurricular activity during high school.  I told everyone that we'd missed something in this kid.  Who knew?  Why didn't we give him a costume?
• One classmate spent 35 years traveling in Africa and Asia with her husband working to help people learn to read and sharing her love of theater.  At times there was no running water and no electricity where they stayed.  She was in Katmandu at one point.
• One classmate is an expert in Slavic languages and has her own editing company these days.
• At least 21 classmates are attending their FIRST reunion.

The reunion leader is taking the 75 or less word (and lots were way more) biographies that were submitted and she's going to get them printed to offer as handouts.  She said they are positively amazing.  The question was -- what have you been doing for the last 50 years?

Three of us practiced our songs for the reunion.  We practiced our Alma Mater too.  It's the same one as Cornell University.  And the same tune as the camp song in "Dirty Dancing."  The fight song is easy -- same as Ohio State's.

My suggestion for everyone today is to ask yourself a similar question -- what have I been doing for the last ____ years (since high school).  It makes you take some stock of yourself and gauge where you've been and where you are going.  It makes one accountable, which of course we are.  By having to put your life in words makes it more real, more intense. 

So thank you, God, for my fine classmates and for a chance to reconnect with them again in this special way.  And thank you for all of the readers of this blog, Jesus, for being so loyal.  And may God bless you on this day.