Memorial High School Class of 1967

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I don't want to brag or make anyone jealous or anything, but I can still fit into the earrings I wore in high school.

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Every five years, as summer time nears, an announcement arrives in the mail, a reunion is planned, it'll be really grand;  make plans to attend without fail. 

I'll never forget the first time we met,  we tried so hard to impress.  We drove fancy cars, smoked big cigars, and wore our most elegant dress. 

It was quite an affair, the whole class was there. It was held at a fancy hotel.  We wined and we dined, and we acted refined and everyone thought it was swell.

The men all conversed about who had been first  to achieve great fortune and fame.  Meanwhile, their spouses described their fine houses and how beautiful their children became.

 The homecoming queen, who once had been lean, now weighed in at one-ninety-six. The jocks who were there had all lost their hair and the cheerleaders could no longer do kicks.

No one had heard about the class nerd who'd guided a spacecraft to the moon; or poor little Jane, who's always been plain; she married a shipping tycoon.  The boy we'd decreed 'most apt to succeed' was serving ten years in the pen,  while the one voted 'least' now was a priest;  just shows you can be wrong now and then.

They awarded a prize to one of the guys  who seemed to have aged the least.. .Another was given to the grad who had driven  the farthest to attend the feast.

They took a class picture, a curious mixture of beehives, crew cuts and wide ties. Tall, short, or skinny, the style was the mini;  you never saw so many thighs.

At our next get-together, no one cared whether they impressed their classmates or not.  The mood was informal, a whole lot more normal  by this time we'd all gone to pot.

It was held out-of-doors, at the lake shores;  we ate hamburgers, coleslaw, and beans. Then most of us lay around in the shade,  In our comfortable T-shirts and jeans.

By the fiftieth year, it was abundantly clear, We were definitely over the hill.  Those who weren't dead had to crawl out of bed,  and be home in time for their pill.  And now I can't wait; they've set the date, our sixtieth is coming, I'm told.  It should be a ball, they've rented a hall at the Shady Rest Home for the old.

Repairs have been made on my hearing aid;

my pacemaker's been turned up on high. My wheelchair is oiled, and my teeth have been boiled and I've bought a new wig and glass eye.

 I'm feeling quite hearty, and I'm ready to party  I'm gonna dance 'til dawn's early light.  It'll be lots of fun; but I just hope that there's one  other person who can make it that night.

Author Unknown

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A group of 15-year-old girlfriends discussed where to meet for dinner.

Finally, they agreed to meet at the Dairy Queen next to the Ocean View

restaurant because they had only $6.00 among them and Jimmy Johnson, the

cute boy in Social Studies, lived on that street.

10 years later, the group of 25-year-old girlfriends discussed where to

meet for dinner. Finally, they agreed to meet at the Ocean View

restaurant because the beer was cheap, the restaurant offered free

snacks, the band was good, there was no cover and there were lots of

cute guys..

10 years later, the group of 35-year-old girlfriends discussed where to

meet for dinner. Finally, they agreed to meet at the Ocean View

restaurant because the cosmos were good, it was right near the gym and,

if they went late enough, there wouldn't be too many whiny little kids.

10 years later, the group of 45-year-old girlfriends discussed where to

meet for dinner.. Finally, they agreed to meet at the Ocean View

restaurant because the martinis were big and the waiters had tight pants

and nice buns.

10 years later, the group of 55-year-old girlfriends discussed where to

meet for dinner. Finally, they agreed to meet at the Ocean View

restaurant because the prices were reasonable, the wine list was good,

the restaurant had windows that opened (in case of a hot flashes), and

fish is good for cholesterol.

10 years later, the group of 65-year-old girlfriends discussed where to

meet for dinner. Finally, they agreed to meet at the Ocean View

restaurant because the lighting was good and the restaurant had an early

bird special.

10 years later, the group of 75-years-old girlfriends discussed where to

meet for dinner. Finally, they agreed to meet at the Ocean View

restaurant because the food was not too spicy and the restaurant was

handicapped-accessible.

10 years later, the group of 85-years-old girlfriends discussed where to

meet for dinner. Finally, they agreed to meet at the Ocean View

restaurant because they had never been there before.

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I grew up with practical parents. A mother, God love her, who washed aluminum foil after she cooked in it, then reused it. She was the original recycle queen, before they had a name for it... A father who was happier getting old shoes fixed than buying new ones.

Their marriage was good, their dreams focused. Their best friends lived barely a wave away.

I can see them now, Dad in trousers, tee shirt and a hat and Mom in a house dress, lawn mower in one hand, and dish-towel in the other. It was the time for fixing things.. A curtain rod, the kitchen radio, screen door, the oven door, the hem in a dress. Things we keep.

It was a way of life, and sometimes it made me crazy.. All that re-fixing, eating, renewing, I wanted just once to be wasteful. Waste meant affluence. Throwing things away meant you knew there'd always be more.

But then my father died, and on that clear winter's night, in the warmth of the hospital room, I was struck with the pain of learning that sometimes there isn't any more.

Sometimes, what we care about most gets all used up and goes away...never to return.. So... while we have it..... it's best we love it.... and care for it... and fix it when it's broken......... and heal it when it's sick.

This is true. for marriage....... and old cars..... and children with bad report cards..... and dogs with bad hips.... and aging parents..... and grandparents. We keep them because they are worth it, because we are worth it.

Some things we keep. Like a best friend that moved away or a classmate we grew up with.

There are just some things that make life important, like people we know who are special........ and so, we keep them close!

Good friends are like stars.... You don't always see them, but you know they are always there. Keep them close!