High School Reunion

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T-Bug and I spent the weekend in Perry for her class reunion. For the most part we enjoyed ourselves. But as it has been said, "You can never go home". Perry is not what I remembered. Somehow it just seemed a bit faded, maybe even tired or desperate. It was like an "echo" rather than an actual "word". Maybe that has more to do with my age and memory than Perry's actual state of being. In spite of all that I learned a number of things though; most evident was the fact that I somehow wound up with the pick of the litter out of that whole group. More painfully learned was that by attempting to dance I discovered "I ain't what I used to be". Tilena says my dancing looks like a giraffe on roller skates......I think she's just jealous. A lot of the time there, I just spent sitting and watching Tilena with her old friends. I could be content for hours and hours watching her and listening to her laugh. At times it just seemed like she was a young girl in the midst of a group of older women. She has defied aging somehow. It was also clear that many of the guys there thought the same thing.


She's still the magnet and we kept a table full of company. Some I enjoyed and some I tolerated. There's no doubt many of those ole boys still "carry a torch" for her. It was depressing to see how many single men and women were there, and how many married people were there alone. Life is too short and too hard to spend it bitter or by yourself.


Even there 350 miles away from my work, I was not able to fully be "away from work". Some girl's ex-husband showed up fully gassed and ready to roll. Unfortunately, some of the hosts of the event knew me and had me "follow the ole boy to his pick up". Thankfully he left without serious incident. There were a whole lot of "gassed up" people there. There's an enormous amount of entertainment value in watching them. I'll bet Bayer asprin had a spike in sales Sunday Morning. I'll tell you, there is no truth to the urban legend that alcohol makes someone smarter, better looking or a better dancer......but there were a lot of people out trying to prove it.

We visited with Regina and Charise. You would have to know them. There is no description fitting for either of them.....you just have to know them. Regina is in the first photo above with Tilena, Charise is in the center of the second shot with Robin at the right. The last picture is Tilena, Christy, Charise (open mouth normal) and Regina. Tilena and Charise were room mates when she and I met. That's a story for another day. I knew of Charise long before I knew Tilena. In the same way Regina and I were friends long before I even knew Tilena's name. Her mother taught all four of my sisters to play piano. Her Uncle John is the most Honorable Man, Friend, Boss I have ever known. It would be 10 years before I knew Tilena and Regina were friends with each other. Robin and Tilena have been friends from early on. Robin is one of those who never left Perry.

There were many old aquaintences who had obviously succumed to the ravages of chemical dependency or other poor personal decisions. It was painful to see the despair in their lives. We've been gone so long and remembered them as bright lively people with so much promise. There were others who had prospered against all odds. Often, it seems, its the ones you think are a lost cause who make it, and others who have every advantage who fail.


To be sure there were some who were truly prosperous financially and even a precious few who were honestly content. There were some who just seemed to feel the need to "exhibit" financial prosperity. I don't have any money, but I'll say it again....I am the richest man alive on God's earth today. He has blessed me with eternal life, wife, children and contentment. There is no salve like the knowledge that a man and his family are permanently destined for Glory.


Well, enough for tonight. To keep on is to risk telling too much.


Don & Company