Should You Attend Your Class Reunion or Not?

Class reunions – some attend, some don’t.  Many people have no desire to see their former classmates.  Others, I believe, are afraid to participate because they are unhappy with the way they feel or how they look or fearful of what others might say about them.  While others may have had a falling out with a classmate and are uncomfortable facing them again.  Still, others don’t want to or can’t spend the extra money on flights, gas, hotel, and charges to attend the reunion.

After attending my class reunion this past weekend and during the journey home, I began looking at my yearbook from my junior year.  I started thinking about how much my classmates and I had changed over the years.  What also crossed my mind was that we didn’t all hang out together in high school.  We had diverse backgrounds; were part of various social groups.  Our strengths and interests were different.  Some played football, others participated in track, while others took an interest in tennis.  Many of us were a part of the school band, participated in the drill team, or were cheerleaders.  I realized that none of that mattered any longer; it was the past.  At the reunion, what mattered was we shared those memories with old friends and made some new friends, asking who was retired and what was going on in their life.  We came together with one primary interest – we all graduated together in 1976.

Several people surprised us as they walked in the door with no prior reservations.  How special it was to catch up with those we had not seen in 10, 20,  or 30 years.   A few of us had stories to tell regarding our health.  Now that social media is popular, many of us have become connected on Facebook in recent years.  We have our class page to keep each other informed of important happenings and friends we’ve lost.

I think one of the most thought-provoking moments was viewing the Memorial Table, where flickering white candles highlighted cards displaying each person’s name who had passed on before us.   The opening prayer was shared,  followed by the reading of each classmate’s name who passed away.  Our class of approximately 350 students had lost 34 classmates to date.

 We now have to wait for another five or possibly ten years to attend another class reunion.  Each year, each month, each day brings about changes, and this is why I think it is so important to participate in these reunions.  They are significant because they remind us of who we were, where we came from, and who we’ve become.  And hopefully, it keeps us humble and appreciative of the road we’ve traveled.

I recently spotted this saying, and I thought I would share it with you.  There was no reference as to who said it.

“Don’t let anyone who hasn’t been in your shoes tell you how to tie your laces.”

If you are interested in planning your class reunion, I’ve included a couple of websites to assist you with that.

• https://www.eventbrite.com/l/how-to-plan-a-class-reunion/
• https://www.lovelesscafe.com/how-to-plan-your-high-school-reunion/
• https://destinationreunions.com/6-tips-help-plan-fabulous-class-reunion/

Have a wonderful week!  Would you please share and comment if you liked my post?