High School Reunion, part 2

Back in October we traveled to Illinois to attend my 10-year high school reunion. It had a great turn-out, but didn't feel quite complete to me because my friend Anne Marie was not there.

She was one of the first friends I made in junior high. I remember sitting behind her and her long, yellow braids in 7th grade social studies class. I also remember sitting with her at the same lunch table (and feeling so grateful to find a lunch table where I belonged). Among my few memories of 8th grade include those of sitting in the same bus that drove us to the high school for Freshman algebra one period each day. (We always made fun of ourselves and that short little bus). Once we were actually in high school, I remember being in the same car with her for driver's ed. (She was a better driver than I was, but Mr. McIntyre only had to use the break pedal on me once). Most of my memories of her are those of playing in orchestra and string quartets together. I always sat across from her as she drew beautiful notes from her grandfather's old violin and made it look easy.

As it turns out, Anne Marie has been a Colorado resident for quite some time now. After our family has lived in this state for two years, we finally were able to have Anne Marie and her family over for dinner at the end of April. (It was literally on my to-do list for months!)

It was an especially sweet reunion for me because it was the first time I met her husband Jonathan and her daughter, Junia, who happened to be born exactly a month before Paula. She is such a beautiful little girl, and cuddly, too.

 

While they were here visiting, I half-jokingly suggested that we get out some instruments and play a little music. To my delight, Anne Marie took me up on the idea. She patiently waited while I dusted off my violin for her and dug through several piles of music to find my cello/violin duets. She was apologetic about her playing, saying she hadn't picked up her own instrument for quite a while, but she really hadn't lost her touch at all. After setting down the fiddle, she hopped over to the piano and accompanied me on Gounod's Ave Maria. Sight-reading every note and still making it all look so easy.

At one point in the evening, Anne Marie expressed that she wished she had taken high school less seriously--that she had spent a little less time worrying, studying, and practicing and a little more time on forming friendships. The memory of who she was back then seemed to make her cringe, and I laughingly admitted that I shared her sentiment in many ways. Perhaps it is a good thing, though, to be able to look back on who we once were and feel that part of that person is no longer a part of who we are now. If we believe in the improvement and progression of our souls, and endeavor to better ourselves each day, I think it should be counted as success when our former self appears less polished and refined than that of present.

For now, I am going to celebrate the successful completion of High School Reunion, Part 2: The much-anticipated dinner with my friend, Anne Marie, the music we got to play together in my home, and our little babies, who hardly fussed the entire time.