Friendship - Reunion Style

If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you know I am raving about my 20th high school reunion. I can't help it, y'all. Simply, it was THE BEST TIME EVER. I can't explain why, but I really want to try. This post is dedicated to ALL of the 95ers who just loved, danced, praised, and celebrated. I am honestly sad it is over.

You all know I lost my dad suddenly and under tragic circumstances in 2002. His story was unfolding in our hometown for a few weeks, and MANY friends stayed with us every night until we had answers. Some of these people were at my reunion, and those who knew of my dad's death reached out in such heartwarming ways. I never - not once - felt uncomfortable or on the verge of a breakdown when someone asked. It was genuine, and I felt that.

If you will let me, I want to preserve some of my favorite moments -

One of my favorite conversations came from my choir buddy, Leslie. We had a good long talk about faith, God, and spreading God's love. I wish I could hug Leslie one more time for just being so real that night. I loved that conversation.

Then, there was the few who mentioned reading my blog and following my journey. I do get anxious when people mention my fitness plans or my health posts. I just do, I can't help it. But, again, their comments were genuine. Those comments are going to push me even more, and I am grateful. My one friend, Christen, who is an avid fitness fan, told me how proud he is and even offered to help me with one of his many races. I love that support.

Then, there was my Stuart. We are one of the few whose parents still live in our old neighborhood. I am pretty sure he was one of my first friends. He was a jokester in high school and is now a successful architect. He's still just as silly and one of my favorites. We pick up right where we left off. And we both know loss, but we have survived and then some. Love my Stewie.

One hard part was that we were missing 8 classmates who have passed. That was tough as most were sudden and unexpected. One of my sweet friends, Jorge, was amazingly talented and loved a good time. Unfortunately, we lost him in 2007. I thought of him a lot that night because he would have been on the dance floor twirling us all around. Miss you, Jorge. Miss all of you.

But, I think that was what was so awesome. We felt their absence. We struggled losing so many so young, but we put all of life's hardships aside and just had a blast - for them and for us. No conversation was hard; all memories were celebrated. We danced ourselves silly (holy moly, my feet still hurt), laughed, and enjoyed being carefree. In fact, one classmate, Jason, mentioned how nostalgic he felt and how he was sad it was all over. I completely agree and vote we have a 21st reunion.

Friendship is amazing stuff, folks. Adult life, parenting, work, stress can get us all down at some point; maybe too much at times. It felt as though these friends just knew we need to live and love - if only on this Saturday night, and it felt great.

Thank you, Humble Wildcats Class of 1995. I love you all dearly and treasure you more than you know. If you have a reunion soon, go. Enjoy it. We all need some fun and friendship to keep life amazing!

With Love,
Kim