So, this week was my 45th High School class reunion. I have had mixed feelings about it. My first thought was, “I’ve been out of High School for 45 years?” Gosh that would make me…well, it makes me over 60 years old.

Then I wondered how all my classmates look now. I mean, I see myself every day and I don’t think I have changed much. I have seen some pictures on face book of some of my class mates and they may have put on a few pounds, have graying hair or a little less hair and some wrinkles may be present from life experiences. Some of the guys I went to school with I haven’t even seen since graduation (or they haven’t seen me). Finally, in the past 5 years we have had a lot of the class members die. This fact kind of sealed my going to the reunion. In our class of about 140, we have lost over 30 and around 10 in the last five years. So, yeah, I would like to go to see as many as are there and catch up on what has transpired over the past, I don’t know, 45 years!

We will meet in the old study center/cafeteria. Except, now it is not old, they remodeled it a couple of years ago and the pictures looked so nice. The reunion classes will meet, have coffee, renew friendships and then at 11 have a luncheon and catch up some more. At 1:30 there will be the traditional homecoming assembly at the High School Auditorium followed by a homecoming parade at 4 p.m. We will all ride on a float down the old main street and wave at everybody and throw candy to the onlookers (hope that trailer isn’t too high or they bring a ladder).

The big football game starts with a homecoming coronation at 6:30 and the football game starts at 7:00. We will be playing our old rival, the Perry Maroons. It should be fun cheering on our old alma mater, Blackwell Maroons. But the win/loss record is not too good this year. The old Maroons are 0-4 for the year.

The class of 1980 has dinner scheduled for Saturday evening. Got a great menu, BBQ! However, as a Pastor, I have duties that start early on Sunday morning so I will be leaving after the game or early Saturday morning (and it is a three hour drive back home).

I have only attended one class reunion. It was back in 1990, my ten year reunion. Not many folks showed up for the reunion that year. I have been unable to attend the other years. Schedules or distance have prevented me from attending.

But, this year is different. Over the last couple of years I have found some of the classmates on Facebook and followed them and caught up on a little of life with them. Others I just see pictures and a few posts. I think it will be awesome to see where the last 45 years has taken them. I am pretty sure my adventures of life over the past several years will surprise some and others won’t be surprised at all. Come to think of it, some of their adventures may surprise me!

I am quite sure the time will go by all too fast and when the time comes for us to depart, we will be sad, share addresses, phone numbers, email addresses and Facebook pages. We will all tell each other that 45 years is too long and we all need to get together again soon. We may even make some plans, set a time, date and location to do that very thing. Finally, we will all get in cars and go our separate direction, our hearts full, friendships renewed and our memory banks depleted from past experiences we shared and lived through.

I really am looking forward to this reunion. But I am already sad at the thought of it being over before it even begins. “But one day,” we say, “We will make time to get together more often.” Maybe our schedules will allow more time to do that very thing. But until then, we will just hold on to the memories from the past and the new ones we are creating today and tomorrow.

I am also reminded that one day there will be a reunion where we will all gather together as believers. There will be a great feast, it is called the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19). We all get to be together, feast sumptuously and tell stories of days gone by. Except this reunion will last a little longer…FOREVER. That is right. It will be for an eternity. No obligations will take us away. Time will be no constraint. We will get to be together and never have to depart.

And best of all, Jesus will be there too!

Looking Forward to Reunion 2025, Bro. Tim