Class reunions

She's just a little older than I and definitely much grayer, but she looks a lot better for her age than I do. We were high school classmates. I seldom think about high school classmates. In fact I have forgotten most of them, and some of them are dead. I've only once or twice attended a class reunion, and it seems this was a long time ago.

It has been 53 years since I graduated from high school. Our last class reunion was, I think, three years ago. I didn't go. I was in town at the time, and I considered going, but had not troubled to find out what was happening or where. I made a halfhearted attempt to find some classmates, but nothing came of it. I was in an adjustment period, with my father recently deceased and my mother in assisted living in Des Moines. Our old home was pretty lonely, with many items cleared out and the rest spread out on the living room floor. I think it was a last review of stuff before the big sale to clear out the rest. Obviously, not a time when I was in a mood for partying.

After my visit this week with my old classmate, I am thinking I might attend a future reunion. Our town holds all school reunions in conjunction with their annual Creek Days event. Some towns have lakes, others have rivers, but in Odebolt, it's our creek, the Odebolt Creek. Was the town named after the creek, or the creek named after the town? No one knows. Anyway, I think they dam it up downstream to be sure there is water in it for this annual event.

My reservations about returning for one of these events is now related to my parents' deaths. For so many years I was blessed with their being there, sort of right where I'd left them and always the same, except, of course, older. Could I make it there as a stand alone Dresselhuis? Might it be a healing experience? Do I need a healing experience? Or might it just be fun to see where people I sort of knew way back then have been and how they're doing now? Or might it just be fun? I'm thinking about it.