So a couple weeks ago I went to my 45th year class reunion. I was not sure what to expect, since I had not been to a reunion since the 10 year reunion (35 years ago!). As I expected there were a lot of classmates there. I will tell you right at the beginning of the article, I had a blast and was not disappointed.

To have an idea of how we all used to look, one of the classmates thought it would be fun to put our graduation pictures on the front of a T-shirt with our graduation year (1980). This was one of those ideas that sounded good at the moment, but when the moment came to wear the shirts second thoughts (and third and fourth) hit.

My pic wasn’t a whole lot different from how I look presently. My hair has certainly turned white and is considerably shorter than 45 years ago. More than one of the guys didn’t worry about having white hair instead they worried about the fact that theirs was gone! And then several of the ladies were sporting a rinse or new color to hide the gray. Then there were a few who had just let it go gray and were sporting the look quite well.

And speaking of hair, we sure had some interesting hair styles in the 80s. Many of the girls had that 80’s look with the bangs sprayed and standing up in the front three to six inches. Several of the guys had their hair parted in the middle and feathered to the sides and longer in the back. I never got into that style. I thought it looked like too much work. No, I and some others sported the shaggy do. Kind of like Shaggy on Scooby Doo. Less work and maintenance.

Probably the most notable feature was the fact that we are a little heavier than when we graduated. Speaking for myself, I have added a hundred pounds. But you probably need to know that I weighed 115 pounds dripping wet in 1980. When you are 6’2” tall 115 pounds makes you look like a pencil! So a hundred pounds hasn’t hurt me too much. Some of the others…well, that added weight hasn’t been as complementary. But that is not something I would ever tell them. I think I will just call it being a member of the 100 Club and not tell them it is pounds!

One final thing that was noticeable that was closely related to the weight and hair is our skin. There is no way to say it nicely, so I will say it, “WRINKLES.” Yep, some of us have our fair share of wrinkles. They show up primarily on our faces, but it is there on our necks, upper and lower arms, and to some who wore shorts, our legs.

Now I am not criticizing as I have my fair share as well. But for some of us it is not aging so much as just life in general. Some of us have lost parents, spouses, and some even kids. Others show signs of hard work. Some have made some lifestyle choices that were not wise and now show the results. And, then there are those whose wrinkles are evident as just a part of aging.

One of the highlights for me was the classmates who recognized me from a distance before ever seeing my Tshirt with my picture on it. From maybe 50 yards away, I heard my name being called from some the people I had not seen in 35 and 45 years. Some of them were vaguely familiar, but most of them I recognized immediately.

We hugged, shook hands, and with some even shed a few tears at the reunion of longtime friends. We talked, shared where life had taken us and what we’ve been doing all these years. And of course, grandkids were the center of many conversations.

At the beginning of the reunion we had registration, a coffee, and a tour of the remodeled school to begin the day. Next we went to lunch followed by a homecoming assembly. We cheered for our school. We sang the alma mater. We patiently waited as the roll call of classes was called out and vigorously cheered as they called the Class 1980! We then loaded onto a trailer made into a float for the Class of ’80. After a homecoming parade through downtown Blackwell, a large group of us went to a Mexican restaurant and spent the next two hours just laughing, chatting, and reminiscing.

At the close of the day, we all agreed that this was so much fun that we would have to do it again next year…at the homecoming or somewhere else. Our class of 130+ has said goodbye to 40 classmates in the last 45 years. We should meet up again and real soon.

This reunion also made me think about a reunion in Heaven. Will there be people that will recognize me from a distance and call my name? Will we need T-shirts with our picture on them for others to know us? Will we be as excited to see each other in Heaven as we were at a 45th year class reunion? I do look forward to visiting with as many as possible and catching up on what has been going on with them in Glory!

And the coolest thing is we don’t have to say, “See you later” and “We have to do this again real soon!” We get to all be together for eternity. How cool is that? Makes me kind of homesick for a Heavenly reunion, how about you?

Bro. Tim