Please consider attending your class reunions when those events occur. My personal experience at my 50th high school reunion was a blessing, and one of the best weekends I’ve had in a long time.
Some may dread the reunion or hesitate to attend. I hope you’ll gather your courage and interest in past events to experience the joy of reconnecting with friends. Too many of my classmates didn’t live long enough to attend. Those who came were pleased, and possibly surprised, by how much fun we had together.
I was on the planning committee, which allowed me to reconnect through text and email with friends made decades earlier. These people were so wonderful to work with during the planning stages. It was a bonus to connect in person as we prepared for the events we’d spent months planning.
One of my friends, who lives about an hour and a half away from me now, was involved in an automobile accident and couldn’t drive to the reunion. When she said she couldn’t come, I offered to drive her. Her sweet husband brought her to me, and I had the pleasure of her company for the trip.
Many of my readers know I grew up in Mexico, Missouri, where I’ve set my Show Me Mystery series. It’s a town built on agriculture, and formerly on firebrick production and Saddle Horse training.
We held an event on Friday night at Simmons Stables (featured in the third book in my series, Show Me Skulduggery). One of my classmates, Bobette Balser Wilson, was instrumental in saving the stables and forming the International Saddlebred Hall of Fame, and Simmons’ Stable Preservation Fund Inc., a nonprofit organization to maintain the museum and event center. 
On Saturday, some of our classmates and athletes toured the upgrades to the football field and went on a tour of the high school. Then, we held our banquet on Saturday evening. One of our favorite teachers and coaches, Coach Green, spoke to us after our dinner. His words of wisdom struck a chord.
“By the time you reach your 50th reunion, you don’t care about trying to impress people with your looks, clothes, or careers anymore,” Coach said. “You are just glad to be here, and excited to see your friends. You care about talking to each other, sharing your life events, and laughing about events and shenanigans from the past.”
Our weekend was filled with the joy of seeing our friends again, giving them a hug or a handshake, and sharing memories. Being able to spend time together again was a real blessing. Reconnecting with friends from the past is rewarding and thought-provoking. I highly recommend it.
(side note of small-town rural humor) While I was home for the weekend, I stayed at my brother’s farm. When exiting the gravel driveway, I got out and locked the gate behind my car as all good farm girls know to do. While out of the car, I spotted a juvenile-aged cow enjoying grass growing along the side of the road. He/she had not traveled far but was outside the fence and thus was an escapee from one of the neighbor’s fenced pastures. Because family friends owned that pasture, I called and reported a “teenager” on the loose. I chuckled as I made my way down the gravel road after the call. I’d forgotten how animal husbandry sometimes plays a role in your days in a small town’s rural living. This event warmed my heart and reminded me of the fun and surprises of country living.
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