Counting Down

Ok - I'm getting the Bushism for Friday, March 16th out of the way first thing.
"[I'm] occasionally reading. I want you to know, in the second term. - Washington, D.C.; March 16, 2005

Yes, I am glad I got that posted - over and done with - because this particular Bushism, like so many others, is one that I have no earthly clue whatsoever as to what he was talking about there! 'Nuff said on that one!

I don't remember if I mentioned anything previously about this but my high school graduating class is have a class reunion this summer - our 45th, as a matter off fact. And I'll be there too with bells on because I totally enjoy these events!

Sometimes, it doesn't seem at all possible that it has been that many years since I left the "hallowed halls of Cooper High" but judging by the way the joints in my legs like to stiffen up on me, ache, sometimes even swell, you'd swear I've been on my feet constantly for all of those years so I guess it really is true that. Yep, 45 years!

At our last reunion, my friend, classmate, neighbor (and president of our graduating class) had asked me if at the opening of our 40th reunion would I kind of make some remarks, try to put everyone at ease, get them into the spirit of the reunion,etc. Serve as kind of an "emcee" you could say.

And I did that. But actually, all I did was pass the buck around the room. I started with the classmate at the first seat on the table to my immediate left and tossed out the ball, asking each person from our class to think back over the years and share some things he or she remembered best about our school days. And, I went completely around the room from one classmate to the next to the next.

Some of the group are still as quiet, shy and reticent as they were back in school - others are still just as gregarious - so there were a lot of good memories brought up by getting each one to participate at whatever level that person felt comfortable in sharing. And it was often really funny too listening to others mention things many of us had forgotten from 40 plus years before.

And this year, when my neighbor/friend/former classmate and former class president called me to say she had made an inquiry at a restaurant over in Clearfield about holding our reunion there and had several dates when the place would be available, we pretty much decided for everyone else then to go with the date of June 2nd for our reunion.

And Kate asked me if I would mind doing again at this reunion something like I'd done at the last one. And sure, no problem, I'd said.

And really, it is no problem except that I'm thinking since I used that format of going around the table at the last reunion, should I stick with it and do that again? Or maybe, go to each one present and ask for an update of what this or that person has done, achieved, etc., in these past five years since our last get-together?

I was thinking of maybe trying to get as many of my classmates as possible to help out and putting together some photo collages of as many of us as possible. My idea here would be to scrounge around and get old,old photos taken either when we were really small or in grade or high school and see who can identify this, that or another classmate from way back when. And then, also have another collage type thing of photos of us taken anytime between graduation until now. Finally, a third collage where folks who have children and grandchildren could share those glimpses into their lives too.

Kind of a this is our past, this is us up to the present and with the children/grandchildren display too, that would represent our future. We do still have a future you know, even though the bulk of our lives is now in our past! Or at least, that's how I see it - my grandchildren are my future as well as holding the potential of the future for themselves and society in the palm of their tiny hands.

I don't know if this idea is way too cumbersome, time consuming, difficult to pull off or not. I've mentioned the idea to a few of my classmates and no one has out and out said they hated the idea. Although a few did comment that it might be biting off more than I can chew. And that very well may be true too. I'm still mulling the whole idea over in my mind though to see if there is any potential to do something like that.

So I'll put the question on the table here to any of you - my readers - for suggestions as to something interesting I can do or say to provide a little bit of a light air to our gathering. Feel free to speak up, tell me what you did at your class reunions or things you heard of that others have done at theirs. I'd welcome any little bits of input anyone wants to provide here!

And, because I know I am going to probably be pretty busy for most of Saturday, don't know yet about Sunday though, I'm going to go ahead and get the Bushism for those two days posted at the end of this piece too!

"I'm also mindful that man should never try to put words in God's mouth. I mean, we should never ascribe natural disasters or anything else, to God. We are in no way, shape, or form should a human being play God." - Appearing on ABC's 20/20, Washington, D.C.; January 14, 2005.