Who Says You Can't Go Home?

Who says you can't go home?
There's only one place they call me one of their own
Just a hometown boy, born a rolling stone.
Who says you can't go home?
                            Bon Jovi

In June, my high school in Ruidoso, New Mexico held a combined reunion for the classes of 1973-1980. There were close to 300 people who attended, including spouses of classmates.

I've been to all my reunions over the years but this one was different. There were several people there who had never been to any of their class reunions in the past. Maybe it was because so many classes were combined or maybe it was because the event was so well planned, I don't know, but I saw a lot of people I hadn't seen in over 30 years. 

Jeff Elliott, Rick Mound, Me, Stan Cape

Over the course of 4 days, we talked about the past, laughed at our memories, told lies, met family members and drank beer....a lot of beer! We tried to hold back the tears when we looked at photos of our classmates who have passed away or learned of friends' parents who were no longer with us. You see, in a small town when you make friends in school, their parents and family become a big part of your life as well. We talked about people who weren't there, wondered whatever happened to what's-his/her-name, checked out ex-girlfriends and wondered "What if I'd have married her?" And then we drank some more beer.

 Me, Sean Mound, Jeff Elliott

 

Some of the class of '79

"It was always summer and the future called
We were ready for adventures 
and we wanted them all
And there was so much left to dream
And so much time to make it real"

                                                                Meat Loaf

 

 My friend Stan and I, 2010

...and in 1979

 Steve Cox, Jay Raulerson and Me

 Frosty Lathan at the Saturday picnic

Getting ready for the Saturday night banquet

Jeff Elliott, Lori Wright-Iannucci, Rick Mound, 

Cindy Mound-Yenson and me.

In the movie Stand By Me, the writer, voiced by Richard Dreyfuss, writes, "I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?" (In my case, it was 18 but you get the idea). It's funny that when you haven't seen a good friend for such a long time, when you finally do, you pick up right where you left off. That's what we did. It was a great weekend. We are planning on having another reunion in 2013...maybe we'll drink some more beer! In the words of Rod Stewart:

May good fortune be with you
May your guiding light be strong
build a stairway to heaven
with a prince or a vagabond
And may you never love in vain
And in my heart you'll always remain
Forever young, forever young.