Yuppers, I did it! I went to my 40th Reunion and enjoyed every minute of it. What an incredible time Tim and I had, I soaked it all in like a sponge. Like I said, in high school I was neither the prettiest, smartest, most talented or athletic, I was average. I survived my high school years rather than thoroughly enjoying the moments. So attending my reunion gave me a new understanding of myself, and has proved to be particularly helpful in my journey.
The first night I attended a cocktail party and seeing people that you hadn't seen for 40 years was quite something, a little overwhelming at first. Some classmates I confess, I did not recognize while others looked more mature but exactly the same as in high school, lucky Betty! Many of the men of course, had less hair and guess what, all the woman weren't a size 6. That night I had many wonderful conversations, one of my classmates said to me "you were just so cute in high school", wow, I never felt cute but I loved hearing it!
Saturday, we all participated in a parade hanging out on a flat bed truck going down main street. It was a riot, people yelling at us as they recognized participants, people calling us "old", or yelling out that some of us did not graduate, it was hilarious. The great thing about being older you don't take yourself too seriously any more, we already know we are OLD but we were a darn HAPPY bunch!
The MOST meaningful event and worth the whole trip for me was meeting Mr. Mc Rae. He was my classmate Cathy's dad. The night before she had mentioned to me, that she was almost certain her dad would remember my dad because they were both in the logging industry. My dad died in 1965 and when I was introduced to Mr Mc Rae the first words out of his mouth were "oh, you are Johnnie's daughter", and I immediately teared up as my dad was always affectionately known as"Johnnie". He recalled the day my dad tragically died and how he felt so bad for my mom and all six of us children. Mr. Mc Rae is 82 years old, he was the grand marshal of the parade that day, a kind and sweet man. In that moment of time he validated the HURT that I felt as a child losing my most wonderful daddy. When I lost my dad at 11years of age it was as if the wind was taken out of my sail and I was never the same. I had always been a free spirited child full of fun and laughter but when daddy died I knew of no way to handle the pain, except to turn inward and hide. My journey for restoration in my heart took another leap forward when I met Mr Mc Rae, a moment I will cherish forever.
So stepping out of my "comfort zone" continues to reap many rewards along my journey. I came back from my reunion with new friends, a deeper insight into myself and an appreciation of the little Canadian town where I spent my childhood. Life is Good!
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