The Greenfield Gypsies are on the road again! We just spent
two days in Ohio, visiting family and attending John’s 50th High
School reunion. It was great being able
to visit with David and Charlie Biggs, John’s cousins over breakfast on Friday and to spend most of Saturday catching up with John’s former classmates.
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| David, John, Charlie |
John's classmates are a remarkable and welcoming group of people, so even though I don’t really know them, I felt comfortable accompanying John at the various reunion activities. John was honored at the evening Alumni gathering by being inducted into the West Alexandria HS “Hall of Fame”.
John had been told he would not have to speak, but when invited to do so, he made gracious and brief remarks thanking teachers for sharing their knowledge and inspiration, and the warmth of school friendships that provided him and all his classmates with a great foundation upon which to build their lives and their careers. I was so proud of him!
One of the classmates took the initiative to send
questionnaires to each classmate and compiled those as well as both old and recent
photos into a 50-year Reunion booklet, which makes for fascinating
reading.
Paired with personal conversations with John’s classmates, I would summarize by saying that their small group was representative of graduating classes of much larger size in other locations in terms of life ambitions, achievements, careers, and challenges. Those who have lived their lives primarily within the same geographic confines of where they grew up seem to be largely content with their choices, yet proud of those classmates who “escaped” to far-flung locations and moved on to more ambitious careers and broader experiences. Those who left appear to have maintained a special, warm place in their hearts for their hometown, their friends and former classmates. Many have experienced heart-breaking personal challenges, many have experienced remarkable and durable love, some are currently fighting difficult health issues, some are delighting in the freedom of these later years; most are amazed at how quickly the years have passed and that there has been less time than anyone expected to accomplish all their dreams.
One of John’s classmates
who was unable to attend the reunion because he is currently living and
traveling in Asia made this very poignant summary of his life: “I’ve heard that
regret is a useless emotion. Yet as I
think back on my life, I am struck by how little difference my having been on
the planet has made. I spent my energies
and career working for others…working just for money, doing things that I
really did not enjoy and that did not advance the course or condition of
humanity. I feel I owe you all an
apology – for failing to realize the promise and possibility and potential that
was present in High School. I trust you
did better in your time on this globe than I.
If there is another opportunity, another lifetime…I promise to make more
of a meaningful contribution to the planet.”
May we all live our lives with less regret than he has
expressed, but instead with pride in our life-choices and our
accomplishments. I leave you with a
favorite quote:
This
is the beginning of a new day. God has given me this day to use as I will.
I
can waste it, or use it for good, but what I do today is important because I am
exchanging a day of my life for it.
When
tomorrow comes this day will be gone forever, leaving behind in its place
something that I have traded for it.
I
want it to be gain and not loss,
good
and not evil,
success
and not failure,
in order that I shall not regret the price that I have paid for
it.
-Samuel
F. Pugh
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