Ten Things of Thankful: Reunions and Catching Up

stock photo of a wind-up alarm clock 

Time is a funny thing. One minute you're just starting out as an adult. Then life spins around quickly and the next thing you know, forty years have passed and you're attending social events with people you haven't seen in forever. Often these get-togethers, though enjoyable, require a certain amount of emotional effort--"Today I will be an extrovert!"--but I've come away from these recent events energized and looking forward to future reunions. 

The first weekend of August, we attended a wedding reception, and spent the evening visiting with friends. One of those friends told me how much she enjoyed reading my blog posts. While I do not write for praise, I realized just how impactful encouragement is, and even though I haven't been as regular about blogging as I used to be, her comment sparked a desire to be more focused in my writing. 

The next weekend, John and I flew up to Oregon. We went up for a dual purpose: to celebrate my mom's birthday, and to attend my high school reunion. My brother met us at my parents' house, and we had a great time talking and laughing, playing Scrabble, and watching the Olympics on TV. Instead of cake, and at Mom's request, we picked up a Marionberry pie from the Willamette Valley Pie Company and used that for the birthday treat. 

Then John and I ventured over to my high school reunion. The last reunion I attended was 35 years ago, and I haven't done a very good job of staying in touch with my former classmates, so I wasn't sure if anyone I remembered well would even be there. I told John that we might just be essentially eating dinner with a bunch of strangers, and I was mentally prepared for that.  I was so excited when we arrived to discover that many of my high-school friends were there--my former locker-mate even flew in from the east coast to attend! I really enjoyed the evening as I reconnected with the strong, kind, smart, funny women I am privileged to call my friends. Not only did I enjoy catching up with those I knew well years ago, I also enjoyed getting to know some who I didn't know as well in high school. The older I get, the more I realize the importance of connection and how both diversity and similarity are strengths in friendship. I was surprised at the details my friends remembered and I had forgotten, and vice versa. As we were leaving the reunion, one friend told me that my being there was the highlight of the evening for her. I was equally delighted to see her. Her comment, together with the comment of my friend at the wedding reception, reminded me of how easy it is to build people up and encourage and support them just by simple words. I hope to follow my friends' examples and be quick to let others know I enjoy their company and be encouraging in their endeavors. 

The school year has started for my grandchildren. Only the youngest isn't in school, so I have volunteered to have "Grandma Preschool" with her a few days each week. The preschool years are some of my favorite; in general, preschoolers are eager to try new things, and they help me see the world from a new perspective. When I told my granddaughter we were going to have preschool together, she asked, "Are we going to DANCE?" Well, of course now we are. I learned that if you ask Amazon's Alexa to play "Freeze Dance" you can get a pretty fun little workout: dancing, hopping, skipping, twirling, and finally dancing again. 

Other things I have learned since preschool started: 

• Alexa doesn't know a song called "Grandma Is So Cute" no matter how many times my granddaughter asked for it. Lest I get a big head at my granddaughter's request, she also has informed me, "You look like a potato." 
• The weather chart is boring here in the summertime, because although my granddaughter is chomping at the bit to put up the "snowy" magnet, the "sunny" one is the only one that has accurately depicted the weather outside. 
• My granddaughter knows the word "tail," but not "tale." When I told her once that something she was saying sounded like a "tall tale," her response was, "Grandma, we aren't mermaids!"
• Self-portraits by 3-year-olds are delightful. I don't know whether I'm more tickled by the hair or the ears. 

A child's self-portrait drawn with purple marker shows a face with two eyes and a nose, along with two squiggly ears and two tufts of hair at the top of the head.  

The automatic gate opener has been broken for months, but was recently repaired. Although the act of having to get out an open the gate manually always made me feel like I was living on a bona fide ranch, I must admit it is so nice to have the luxury of just staying in my car and pushing a button. 

As John's job will draw to a close later this fall, we are starting to prepare for the retirement, take two, phase of our lives. 

Time is a funny thing. It goes by slowly and quickly, all at once. No matter what phase of life I find myself in, though, I can be thankful:

1. for the little moments
2. for friends
3. for family
4. for similarities
5. for differences
6. for birthdays
7. for weddings 
8. for reunions
9. for words
10. for John

What are you thankful for this week? Drop a comment and feel free to link up your own blog post!

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