The bonds we form as kids are stronger than we probably thought at the time. Recently, our high school class found out about the deaths of two of our classmates. Most of us found out via Facebook.
Now say what you want about FB, but because of it, we're connected again...some of us for the first time. It's sort of amazing to me that even people we barely looked at in high school, we're friends with on Facebook. We share with, we console, we celebrate. We comment, we like, we encourage. No matter where you sat in the mall, we're all the same now....whether you were on the cake, on a bench, in the library or the smoking lounge. We care about each other now, whether we did back then or not. You see,we share the common bond of a common experience--even though our perspectives were very, very different. Seems now we're not that different at all. Whether we're caring for children or parents, grieving or celebrating...now we care. I wish we could prove to the class of 2015 that they'd all be friends someday. Maybe the bullying would stop. Maybe the fighting would stop. Maybe they'd lift each other up instead of stepping on each other so they could rise to the top. Maybe what they look like wouldn't matter so much. Maybe the jocks and the potheads would realize that none of the labels matter in adulthood.
No doubt we all have a close friend or two that we still keep in touch with from those days. I'm so very fortunate to have one of those...we've gone through LIFE together. For the rest of my high school class, it's great to have found you again on Facebook. It's nice to see we've grown up...and somehow we've grown together even though we've been apart. Keep in touch, keep caring, keep sharing and keep encouraging. If you didn't know me...or like me then...let's give each other a chance now. We're finding out now, maybe way too early or way too late, that life is way too short. North Hunterdon class of 1984: I really do love you all.
