92: One Thirty Years Later

 

The Official Honor Class Photo, taken Sabbath, March 5, right after the chruch service.
Left to Right, Rear: Sean Forde, Shimon Taylor, Tony Exon, Steve Jeffers, Jennifer Everett Jeffers, Jeff O'Connor, Heather Dunkel Rice, Anita Hodder Jimenez, Greg Wedel, Mark Reams, Byron Wells
Front: Rachel Berlus, Mae Williams McKinney, Heather Caplin, Sara Castle, Geysa Mastrapa, Tracy Truitt Mastrapa, Eileen Mastrapa Salem, Hector Morales, Me, Scott Pena, Geri Haupt Chen, and William "Billy" Chen.

I prayed a lot about this weekend.  I won't lie.  I was a little anxious. More than anything, I just prayed we'd all at least get along and not get into any awkward debates about politics or COVID or some such.  Because I know how we are, the class of 1992.  

I knew I would write a blog post about the weekend after it was over and I wondered, what am I going to say if the whole thing is a disaster--people leave mad and offended, swearing they'll never attend one of these again? What will I say?  We are just so different, so divided and potentially divisive?  

Or we were, anyway.

Because after this weekend, I'm not so sure those descriptors apply anymore.  I just feel like something truly remarkable happened this past weekend.  Maybe I'm overstating this, making more of it than it was.  It's possible. But it sure doesn't feel that way, at least not to me.

It feels like we got a second chance, and we made the most of it. And it was beautiful.

Sabbath afternoon, March 5, Picnic at Merrill Park.  We took this photo late in the afternoon after some people had already left.  Pictured, from L to R, are me, Tony, Sean, Heather, Sandra Rivas Cole, Sara, Greg, Scott, Byron, Anita, Shimon, Pamela Foard Wollard, Poupa "Jenny" Marashi, Sandy Marashi, Princess Edwards, and Hector.  The attendees that left before this picture was taken were Heather Caplin, Jacque Chamberlain, and Steve and Jenny Jeffers. Heather and Jacque told me the best story about how they met Axl Rose on our senior class trip!

I've really been touched by the kind words and the gratitude that people have expressed to me throughout the weekend.  It really was meaningful to feel seen and appreciated.  But this is not something I did alone--and I don't just mean the classmates who were quietly helping me behind the scenes.  What I mean is that I planned the events, coordinated the food, did my best to get the word out, but none of that would have meant anything if it hadn't been for the loving spirit of the people who came out.  I'm not one for New Agey "woo-woo" language, but there's no other way to say it:  There was just a really positive energy coming from everyone who participated this weekend.  If there was any griping at all, I never heard a word of it.  Our classmates showed up with love in their hearts and excitement to see their fellow classmates and that love and excitement was reciprocated. 

Friday night, March 4, 2022: From Left to Right, Jennifer, Steve, Heather, me, Andrew Moreno (who now serves as the campus pastor at Forest Lake Academy) and Sean. I like to brag about how we tripled our Friday night attendance this year compared to 2017.

Not everyone participated in the same way. Some only came for the church service Sabbath morning, but didn't join any class events.  There were those who came only to the picnic, and others who only came to the Porch Saturday night. But it didn't matter--whether the moment was brief or not, the same spirit seemed to prevail--one of open-hearted welcome and genuine appreciation. I feel deep affection for every person I spent time with this weekend, whether for five minutes or five hours.

I think my favorite moment of the entire weekend was Saturday night at the Porch. More people turned up than I expected, including some surprises--people I'd had no clue were coming--who showed up, like a plot twist just when you thought the movie was over.  The vibe was the same at the picnic and even at the honor photo Sabbath after church. But Saturday night, we were all seated at this one long table--a table that kept getting longer as more people joined the party.  And I looked at this joyful gathering and remarked to a classmate--this has never happened with us before. This group of people has never been together like this.  People from all the different friend circles were together, people who had never said two words to each other in as much as four years of high school, were now talking to each other animatedly, getting to know each other for the first time.  Whether you had been in the village or the dorm, a "cool" kid or a bit awkward, whether you were a connoisseur of fine adult beverages or a pastor content with soda, it didn't matter. Everybody talked to everybody--old friends reconnected and new friends were discovered.  

And I thought to myself, this is what Heaven will be like.

At the Porch Saturday night, March 5, 2022: Heather and Tony

Poupa and Eric. I really enjoyed talking with Eric. I never knew him very well.

Sandy, Eileen, and Rey Descalso, one of our plot twists of the evening. It was such a surprise and so great to see Rey!

Geysa, Poupa, and Eric

Jenny and Steve

Paul in the foreground, with Scott giving the thumbs up, his wife Lillian, Sandra, Heather, and Jerry Rice in the background.

Pamela's husband, Steven Wollard, Pamela, and Hector

Sandra and her husband Justin Cole. 

Me and Heather with Jerry to the right

Greg, Steve, Jenny, and Hector

Pastor Byron Wells and Me with Rey and Steve in the background

As the weekend closed out, I heard ideas floating for a quarterly gathering for classmates living in the area.  Another classmate suggested that we plan a "senior" class trip.  And I think we're really going to go for it. We'll begin with alumni weekend as usual, and then for those that are game, Sunday morning we board a plane for perhaps Hawaii? It would be epic and I'm serious about making it a reality. (As it happens, planning class trips is kind of my thing!)

For more than three decades, our class was a collection of little Groups, fractured and separated. That ended this past weekend. Granted, it wasn't even half the class (35 by my count, including Tamara Scroggins and Tangie Cox Smith who attended via Zoom), but it was enough that I believe anyone who didn't make this reunion who comes to our 35th, or 40th or 50th or whichever will be welcomed with open arms into a new class of 1992--a class, that is at long last, one.

"One love, one blood
One life, you got to do what you should
One life, with each other
Sisters, brothers

One life but we're not the same
We get to carry each other, carry each other
One.
One"

                 --U2, "One"

Me and Heather, Anything Goes Night, August 1991

Me and Heather, just  over 30 years later, Alumni Weekend, March 2022

Hector, Billy and Greg

Geri and Anita

It only made sense that Billy, a student of leadership, would be tasked with leading us to the stage for our honor class photo!

Tracy Truitt, Dr Mae Williams McKinney (who was our class pastor), Eileen, Rachel Berlus, Heather and Sean

Greg, Steve, and Jenny.  Behind them you can see what I assume are the senior athletes of the class of 2022. Several are the offspring of schoolmates of ours.

Our class president, Pastor Mark Reams, and our Sergeant at Arms, Heather Dunkel Rice.  Mark was honored during the Sabbath morning program  for his years of dedicated service to the youth of Forest Lake Church

Paul and the two Seans. Sean Forde was so kind. He waited with me outside The Porch for Barbara to get me (she was off having her own reunion with some college friends in the area) and we had a great conversation.  While we knew each other thirty years ago, like so many of us in the class of 92 we had never really talked to each other.  It was great to finally get to know the other guy with the best name in the class!

Here's Me and Paul Wood at the 2017 Alumni Weekend when we 

were the only two attendees Friday night.

Me and Paul, at the 2022 Alumni Weekend class gathering at The Porch.

Thanks to Sandra Rivas for making these great nametags!

Barbara and I had a lovely dinner with Chandra Maloney Rudisaile's parents Sunday evening, March 6, 2022

Click on this link to hear my brief reflection on how Forest Lake Academy enriched my friendships.  I presented this thought during the Sabbath  morning program.

The class of 92 at our 25th Reunion and. . .

Our class at  our 30th Reunion