Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Together...Again

Long, long ago, in a far away land, a very rural land, a group of villagers sent their children to this place for an education. For nine years those 40 children spent their days together, learning how to read, write and play dodge ball. Some of the children were short. Some were tall. Some were smart, and some rode the short bus. Most fell somewhere in between, but they were always together. Each year they moved to a new classroom, got a new teacher and learned new things, but they were always together. They played games like kickball and H-O-R-S-E.
They got spankings. They wrote sentences. They played on the basketball teams and made cheerleader….together. They kissed each other behind the bleachers, shared each other’s lunches and smoked two, count ‘em two Kool cigarettes on the playground…together. They did the President’s Physical Fitness Challenge, learned their multiplication tables and had an RC Cola and Moon Pie party…together. They rode school buses and took field trips to gather leaves and eat Dairy Queen treats together. From Kindergarten through eighth grade these 40 boys and girls were side by side not realizing how close they had grown.

In the year 1978 these boys and girls donned prairie dresses and blue tuxedos and graduated together from the little learning place in the country. They danced the night away to songs by the Jackson 5 and Leo Sayer and promised to always stay together. They scattered like the four winds to big dangerous places called high schools but came back together in 1981.
Alas, it would be the last time many of them would see each other for many years. Life in the village was hard. The children, now grown, had responsibilities. Time slipped away and before they knew it, thirty years had passed.

Then one day, one classmate who lived in the far away village called Louisiana, emailed another classmate and said, “I’m coming home during Labor Day weekend. Let’s get together.” And that classmate said, “Hey, I’ll call a few old classmates and see if they can meet us.” And she did. And they did…get together. Eleven of the classmates gathered again…after thirty years. These folks came.
And now they look like this.
They laughed. And laughed.
And laughed. And it was like time stood still. Like they had never parted. After four hours of stories and laughter and pictures they hugged and promised to get together again soon. Because they realized what a special bond they had, a bond that most people don’t have. They realized that they had grown up in a very special place during a very special time and had forged very special friendships that have a fairy tale like quality. They realized they will always..in some way….be together.

10 comments:

Amy said...

Sigh.

What a special time, Hula!

I'm so glad you got to see them again....What about Ramona? Did you find her? (Just nosing.);)

God Bless,
Amy:)

Hula Girl at Heart said...

Yes! She is in Chicago, and one of the folks there Friday is going to try to get a phone number for her.

Cruise Mom said...

I wish I could have been there! Hopefully next year!

Kelley with Amy's Angels said...

How sweet! LOVE IT!

karisma said...

How wonderful! I often wonder what happened to a lot of my friends. Some I have found again through Schoolfriends.com and through blogging, like you say we are scattered far and wide though. One friend I had lost contact with lives on the other side of the country in the middle of nowhere! (We grew up in the city). Its always nice to catch up with people and learn what paths their lives have taken.

maggie said...

Thanks for all the good memories of Franklin. Makes me feel young again in a Senior Citizen way! One person in the group has blessed me with grandchildren! Such a gret group - I must say! Thanks for the memories!

Misti said...

Oh my! It was so nice to get TOGETHER and glad you used my pics! What a fun time we had, both then (in the 70's :) and now, in 2008! Remember the Bay City Rollers? ha We sang S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y NIGHT on the phone for hours! I remember my mom asking me if we weren't able to talk at school because we were always on the phone together. And, do you remember the "paper wad"? Funny how some things stick in your mind after 30 years! Misti

dkuroiwa said...

This made me kind of homesick...I also grew up in a small, rural area...our class had 44 when we graduated.
Every year, during the fair, classes from my high school have reunions...usually every 5 years. It's always fun, not only for our own class, but to visit the other years' reunions!!
I have friends who graduated from huge schools where there were over 200 students and it's really not the same at all! There is something good to be said about coming from a small town!!
Personally...I love it!!!

The Girl Next Door said...

Fun Times Hula Girl! And were you a hula girl at heart back then, too? (Can you believe Jimmy's been touring 40 years? Good golly....)

Mia said...

ahh sweet nostalgia! The further away I get from that time the more I want to move closer to it.