We were there last Saturday, May 16, 2009, at the very place where we last saw each other before we launched into our own dreams, our future lives, our destinies. It’s so hard to believe that 25 years ago - after four years of living together and forming youthful but tenacious bonds that preceded that main event - we received our high school diplomas, went into the big city to pursue college or started to work for our families (as some without regrets had actually done), or started our own families (as some of us boldly and idealistically did in the name of young love).
Many of us ventured far after graduation into the unknown jungles of city life exploring an independence that came by way of new friends, cheap boarding houses or dormitories and love interests. Many of us also decided to remain in the province, our sweet, idyllic Bulacan, to help ageing parents in the fields, stores and shops or some other business as a way of keeping together the family and sacrificing ambitions for younger siblings.
And 25 years after, we nervously smiled at each other, unsure of so many people’s names, which we have forgotten through the years. Thanks to the organizing committee that produced the name tags! The names we have forgotten, but the faces are generally familiar. We can trace beneath the changes that we now see – lines on the forehead, shiny and balding heads, corpulent physiques, generous waistlines and some salt and pepper hair – the unforgettable smile, the unmistakeable voice and actuations, the warm embrace of friendship, the common stories of growing up together and sharing everything possible, the laughter and the tears that made high school life 25 years ago the most memorable experience of young, impressionable lives.
Now, we learn again from each other and get inspired by each other’s stories and experiences. The married ones came with spouses and children; the still unmarried ones came with wishes of bringing the right person in the next reunion. The accomplished ones donated much of the food and other preparations; the ones of modest means generously and excitedly contributed what they could to make the affair festive. It was really not important what happened after we parted from each other years ago. What’s important is that we have found each other again after many years of absence and yes, longing.
A high school reunion is always a moment of grace, a moment of joy, a moment of inspiration. It is a celebration of the important things in life – like friendship that never dies!
Thank you classmates for coming to the reunion of Sacred Heart Academy, Sta. Maria, Bulacan Batch 84. Thank you, Rolly and Cita and companions, for your tireless energy in gathering us once more. Thank you dear teachers for coming to see how we are doing now.
It is so great to see you all again. We are more blessed, indeed, we have become richer in life, because we had each other as high school classmates and lifelong friends. Mabuhay kayong lahat!!!
