I can remember when I thought 40-year old people were ancient. I guess it’s all in one’s perspective. What are some sayings about time flying by so quickly?

Time sure flies when you’re having fun.

Time keeps on slipping, slipping, slipping into the future.

If I could put time in a bottle.

If I could turn back time.

Time waits for no one.

And, my favorite saying from Andy Rooney… “Life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer you get to the end, the faster it goes.”

This past weekend, the PHS Class of 1978 celebrated our 40^th class reunion. It was a delight to reconnect with so many great people, and I believe everyone had a fantastic time. I sure did.

Thanks to everyone who joined in on the planning, decorating, and clean-up. BIG thanks to everyone who came. We had a phenomenal turnout. Without you showing up, it wouldn’t have happened. It was a team effort and I’d say we were victorious. So high fives for everyone!!

Here are a few lessons I learned from #reunion40…

Social Media Teamwork Works: “Teamwork divides the task & multiplies the success.” Spot on!! Because of Facebook and the private messaging ability, many classmates were able to share their ideas for the reunion. We had a group message going and private messages going. We also had text messages going (because not everyone is on Facebook). Once tasks were completed, we could post pictures of our accomplishments on these messages. It kept classmates in the loop, and it worked well!

Less Is More: From decorating the float to decorating the venue, the motto was ‘keep it simple.’ The reunion didn’t have elaborate decorations. We photo copied pictures from the annual and randomly spread those on white round tables then added a little ribbon of the school colors to each table. We didn’t cater the meal. We had a pot luck and had enough food to last for a week.

Preschool Teachers Have Beautiful Handwriting: If you need anything hand-written when decorating a float or the venue, find the preschool teacher classmate and ask her to do the honors. Permanent black markers do not come with erasers. So trust that teacher’s handwriting (thank you Miss Cindy ❤ ).

With Age Comes Wisdom & Forgiveness: For me, this reunion was my favorite. When I think back to high school, I know there were people I hurt with my words or my actions. While most of the time life was good in high school, let’s admit that there were arguments and disagreements and bullying and cattiness. Thank goodness we change. Thank goodness we become wiser. Thank goodness we forgive. At this reunion, we reunited after not seeing each other for a while, decades for some, and we just visited and hugged and laughed and cried together over life.

Memories Are Our Diaries: In 40 years we have lost 14 classmates. That seems like a lot to me. We created a memory table and decorated it with an old PHS graduation gown and hat. We placed photo copies of these classmates around the table with the framed saying “Memory…is the diary we all carry about with us.” Fourteen balloons in school colors sat on the table. After we took our group picture, we let the balloons go in memory of those classmates who have gone before us.

Classmates Are Generous: We had a free will offering bucket setting out on a table. With the donations collected, we were able to pay for the venue. You all rock!

Pic On A Stick: During the parade, we carried our graduation “pic on a stick.” This was a huge success. These made people laugh, and of course the parade goers appreciated it because no one recognized us now that we are 40 years older. 😮 Make an 8 X 10 of your graduation picture, then glue it to a piece of cardboard that has been glued to a paint stick. Thanks to Julie for the fabulous idea and to True Value for donating the sticks.

Friendships = Priceless: Yes they are, Tom! No matter how old we are, friendships will always be a gift from above. Just like marriage, though, it takes effort and commitment to make sure those friendships keep going. My best friend in high school is still a good friend today. Even though we don’t see each other often, we make the effort to visit and get together occasionally. Marilyn…thanks for being there for me all through the years. You’re the best.

The reunion was a blast, and it was so fun to reconnect! Whether we meet again in 5 years at the 45^th or in 10 years at the 50^th, my prayer for all of you is that the Lord blesses you with fabulous health and much happiness.

(Reunion recap via this video. Video credit goes to classmate and friend, Tom Johnson)

Stay Calm & Reconnect!
Profs Dr. Wendy & Dr. V.