Thought of the day - MHS Class of 1993

It truly is amazing how times flies and how, in some ways, it stands still.  Next month will be the 25th anniversary of the graduation of the Monroe High School Class of 1993.  I can't believe it has been that long.  It seems like only yesterday we were young kids filled with hopes and dreams.  The whole world was set before us to journey through life in.  The world was our oyster.  We could do anything we set our minds to.  Our journeys, so far, have taken us to such far, different places...but in my mind I still see those faces of friends frozen in time, as if I could close my eyes and I would be there again, getting ready to take on the world.

It's no secret that many of our lives have not turned out exactly as we had planned, mine included.  And it's not a question of "if I only knew then...." because that's a cop out, in my opinion.  Our journeys have made us into the people we are today.  That may not always be a shining example of perfection, but life's not suppose to be.  I know that not one of us, when filing into Austin Auditorium at Wingate College, was thinking "Gee, in 25 years, I'll be divorced or suffer from depression or drop out of college."  We didn't think that way then and I don't believe we think that way now.  We just happen to deal with what life has thrown our way.  We are all successful because we have survived to tell our tales.

We've each gone on to find our niche in the world.  Some of us are teachers, some entrepreneurs, some are housekeepers.  Some of us are married, some of us are gay, some have large families.  Some are already grandparents while some of us are simply aunts and uncles.  Some travel the world, some never leave home.  Each of us is as unique today as we were 25 years ago.   And, thanks to the internet, many of us can keep up with each other easier than we'd ever dreamed.  Still, I find it amazing that we made all of these plans to keep in touch and there are so many people that I have not seen since that day in June 1993.  I suppose that if I'm meant to see them, then it will be so one day. 

25 years is a long time.  Many of us have lost loved ones during those years.  Some of our favorite teachers have passed on as well.  The school doesn't really even look the same.  I drove around it the last time I was home and couldn't figure out where I was going LOL  But you can still see the foundations of the buildings that we spent 4 years in....kind of like us.  Our high school years really set the foundations for our lives.  Some things may have been unexpected, but our foundations never faltered. 

I can still see our younger selves in each one of us.  Yes, life has changed us.  But we are strong, stronger than some us give ourselves credit for.  We all have known both immense sorrow and intense joy.  We roll with the punches.  We wake up knowing that whatever life throws at us, there are people we have known for over 30 years who will have our backs if we need it.  Even if we haven't seen those people in a long, long time.  It's who we were, who we are and who we will always be.  We are the Monroe High School Class of 1993.