Reflections on a Reunion

I finally made a high school class reunion. Glad I did and it's about time; I showed up for the 50th reunion of the Sherman County High School class of '60 (Oregon). The reunion was held at Skamania Lodge in Stevenson, WA, a lovely place with a wonderful view of the Columbia River. We also lucked out and had a glorious Saturday with no rain--a rarity of late in Washington and Oregon! It turned out to be a very special time reconnecting with classmates, most of whom I had not seen since graduation.



First, a little trivia. Officially, there were 34 graduates of SCHS in 1960; unofficially, there were 35. The difference is, something most of us were unaware of at the time, one member of our class was told shortly before graduation she was short a few credits for her diploma. So, she appears in the class picture, but didn't walk the night of graduation. Also, there were only 33 graduates who actually received their diplomas on graduation night. One of them, John Capaci, was in the hospital having his appendix taken out!

I almost wasn't there either. I was the class Salutatorian and gave an address, but was in considerable pain. My back was killing me. I had been in the hospital before graduation for severe back pain but the doctor was unable to determine why. I had suffered an injury in a track meet a couple of weeks earlier and they were treating me for a muscle pull. Turns out I had something more substantial going on--a congenital defect on the right kidney. The ureter exited from the top of the kidney rather than the middle. When I was high jumping, the ureter got twisted and nearly closed off completely. As a consequence, my kidney did not adequately drain and blew up like a balloon. The pain was really intense. After graduation, I was readmitted to the hospital and the doctor finally took an X-ray. He then realized what the problem was and referred me to specialists in Portland, OR. Shortly thereafter I had plastic surgery and the kidney has functioned correctly ever since.

Sorry for the detour into my personal medical history;back to my classmates. Only one, my cousin, Betty Bothwell (maiden name), has passed away and that within the last year. She died of cancer. Since we are all between 67-69 years of age, I'd say that as a class we have a very low mortality rate.

What was fascinating about this experience was the odd sensation of reconnecting with people whom I knew as 17-18 year olds, 50 years ago. In most cases, it was as if we hadn't missed a beat. Even though we had changed considerably with regard to our physical appearance, there was something continuous and recognizable about each person; we just picked up where we left off. Talk about a time warp! I wonder if this an inkling of what the New Jerusalem will be like? Perhaps this is how it will be for those who die very young; they will appear in glory as mature adults. Hmm?

We had a fun time updating our classmates on our lives since graduation and we howled as the class prophecy and last will and testament was read. A few prophecies were indeed prescient! The experience was so rewarding, we decided it would be great to have another reunion in two years when we all turn 70. I look forward to it.

I am reminded of what the Psalmist says: "The length of our days is seventy years--or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away" (Ps 90:10). How true this is (though I expect several of our class will reach the century mark). For every one of us, mixed with the good times and joys of life, have been the inevitable troubles and sorrows. We live east of Eden and deep within our souls long to return to the Garden. Through Christ we have a robust hope of doing precisely that. Revelation 21-22 is a preview of good things to come for those who trust in Christ as Savior and Lord.

Finally, there was a consensus that going to high school in Sherman County was a very positive experience. Probably most people who travel through our small, depopulated county imagine that people who live there are socially and culturally deprived. They would be quite mistaken. Even though we may have lacked certain advantages of large urban schools, the values and virtues of growing up in a farming and ranching community more than compensated for any supposed shortcomings. One of the spouses of a classmate commented on how envious he was of our class. He was very impressed with the strong sense of community and solidarity. He was right and for that I thank the Lord.