Maplewood High School

The 40^th Reunion of the Maplewood Class of 1970 with Friends from other Classes has come and gone, and is now part of our memories.  As we resume our usual activities in life, we now have a new place we can visit in our minds—that joyous 4-hour event on the evening of July 17, 2010.

Many of you reading this were there, and yet who can adequately describe our experience?   A simple list tells part of it: handshakes, hugs, dancing, good food, flashing cameras, remembering things we'd forgotten, flowers, a vintage car, a trivia game, music of the 60s, and laughter—much, much laughter.  Making this Reunion extra special were the faculty who joined us, and the dozens of people who attended from other class years.  What an honor to have them, and how they added to our joy!

But being with the people—how can we describe that?  Driving home I tried to identify what makes us so happy to be with our friends at the Reunion.  Is it because we shared the same experiences at Maplewood—walked the same halls, interacted with the same people, rooted for the same team, and struggled with the same questions about life?  Yes that is part of it.

Should we also add that our friends make us happy because they accept us fully as we are?  Yes, that is true, and it is a feeling we do not find just anywhere.  We at the Reunion accept each other as life has shaped us.  If our friends are happy, then we are happy for them.  We don't want to compete with them or outshine them—that may have been true long ago, but not now.  No, we want them to have good health and gather their grandchildren about them as they enjoy whatever good they can from here on in.  We are sadly aware that not everyone in our group can reunite with us anymore—at least not here on earth.

But there is something more about us at the Reunion, something we as teenaged people might not have anticipated we would feel four decades later.  It richly colored the atmosphere that night, and heightened our affection for one another.  That something is gratitude.

We at the Reunion had it in a big way.  Scientists tell us that 55% of human communication is through body language, 38% is through voice tone, and a mere 7% is from the words we use.  It wasn't necessary to hear anyone's words to know their thoughts that evening.  People were glowing, and everything about their body posture, voice tones, and laughter said, “I feel fortunate for this opportunity to be here; I'm thankful you made it and you seem okay; I'm grateful to see you again...”

When at Maplewood we had to see each other whether we liked it or not.  Now we would like to see each other more, but it's not so easy.  It's like a verse of Auld Lang Syne (Which means “Days Gone By”):

We two have paddled in the stream,
from morning sun till dine;
But seas between us broad have roared
since auld lang syne

The Reunion was exciting, it was fun, and it filled our hearts with gratitude to be there.  The people were beautiful, the night was beautiful, and we shall never forget it.  Thanks to all of you who came.  May the Lord bless you until we meet again.

—S. Michael Wells, Editor, July 28, 2010