SGP Class of 1984

I had my 25th high school reunion this past weekend and I have to admit that it was one of the best times I've had in a very long time. It was by no means my first reunion but definitely my favorite because of the relaxed feeling of the entire evening. I confess that, in past reunions, I was guilty of being more concerned about image and making a good impression but, as time goes by, I've become so much more appreciative of the friends that I've kept throughout the years. It was a small group that attended the reunion but I made an effort to catch up with every single one of our alumni. We had alumni from as far as Costa Rica and some from a few blocks away that never left the old neighborhoods. In past reunions, the committee would rent a banquet hall with a sit-down dinner and a DJ for the evening but, this time, there was a lot of grumbling about the cost of tickets for the event which affected the number of alumni that turned out for the event. It turns out that an all-you-can-eat-and-drink suite at the local Grand Prairie Airhogs minor league stadium is the perfect setting for a small group of alumni.

We are all older but so much more content and satisfied with our lives. The older we get the more we focus on the needs of our children and (for some of us) grandchildren. So many of us are just grateful to have the opportunity to enjoy each others' company and to catch up after so many years. There are times I'll stop and wonder if I've experienced my "mid-life" crisis but, after this past weekend, I truly feel as though I've embraced where I am in life... but I'm still keeping the crotch-rocket.

A Proud Father...

Often times, when I actually slow down enough, I'll reflect on where I've been in life and all of the special moments I've experienced as a father. The older I get the more I reflect because I know my time will fade away before I realize it. I recently experienced a special moment that I know will forever be ingrained as long as I live. Its one of the handful of "fatherly" moments a man never forgets as long as he maintains his sanity. On this day, my oldest daughter walked the stage for her high school graduation. I wondered how this moment could sneak up on me so quickly and then I realize the weeks and months we spent trying to get her into a good college, finding scholarships, applying for loans and scheduling ACT tests. Before I knew it, her graduation day was just a few days away and I had no idea how I was going to handle it. Being lucky enough to work in the school district she was graduating from allowed me a seat front and center and gave me the opportunity to meet her at the bottom of the steps as she walked off the stage.

I can see all of it in slow motion as she handed her name card to the announcer, smile as she heard her name called, walk forward and shake the hands of the school board members and the superintendent, slow down and reach for her diploma from the school principal and then scan the audience for family members. I remember thinking that she looked so mature... she wasn't my baby girl anymore... she was a grown woman. It was surreal to watch my child experience one of the most important moments in her very young life... only to find myself praying that this is not the most important that thing she'll accomplish in her life.

Just like that... it was over and now I'm the parent of a college student. A situation that comes with a completely different set of rules. A moment in time that I waited so long for has come and gone. I guess that's how life works sometimes... the longer I live the more I realize that its all about a collection of special moments that come and go. You experience one and then move on to the next and, if you're lucky enough, you'll remember them as vividly as the day they happened. At least I can hang on to the rule books for her younger sister... maybe some things will get easier and time goes by.