In Celebration of MHS Class of 1958

In Celebration of MHS Class of 1958

A Tribute and Celebration

We were the class of 1958, members of the Greatest Generation as well as children of the Greatest Generation. Born in 1940, we are also called members of the Traditional Generation.

Our childhood, post World War II, "was the best of times . . . it was the age of wisdom . . . it was the epoch of belief . . .it was the season of Light . . . it was the spring of hope . . . we had everything before us . . .we were all going direct to Heaven . . . ." (A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens.) At least, that's the way I felt about it. We were truly blessed.

- Ouida Tomlinson -

This blog is a place for 1958 graduates of Meridian, Mississippi, High School to stay in touch, post their news, items of interest and photographs.

CLASS OF 1958 MEMORIES (Click to read all posts relating to sports, honors, graduation and other memories of our class in 1957-58.)

FACEBOOK PAGE FOR CLASS OF 1958
https://www.facebook.com/groups/MHS58/

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Friday, August 22, 2008

The 50th - My Opinion

Some of our classmates were gone by the 40th, never to attend a reunion again. Some of the Haves are now Have-Nots: wearing a pacemaker...can't golf like I used to...doctor said it was too much steak and booze...he died in a car accident...sure miss some of the ones that are gone now.

Then comes the summer of the 50th reunion. A bittersweet time in our lives, perhaps the last time we'll all be together again. It may be the last reunion, the last time we'll see our high school friends, the last time we'll dance to the music of Buddy Holly. It may be the first time that it doesn't matter to anyone who has what or who never had it to begin with.

The joy of having material things loses ground as the years evaporate like a silent ghost in the night, leaving changes that far overshadow what we "have." If we live long enough to attend a 50-year reunion, it's truly a gift that we can still travel across the country or the world to see classmates and friends from another lifetime.

It was with those once tender young hearts that we learned one of the most valued lessons in life: Friends, and the memories of what once was, are the priceless possessions. There isn't a price tag. We wouldn't trade it for anything. It's the one thing we all have.

You may not remember me, but I remember you, perhaps only because I'm looking at a familiar teenaged face on a name tag. And it's good to see you. I don't care how you lived your life. I care only that you're here and that you seem happy. I don't care that we are fat or thin or rich or poor.

I care only about the years that are gone and the friendships we once had. I care about a time long ago, a time that we can no longer reach out and touch. It took nearly a lifetime for us to understand the real value of yesterday.

Perhaps now we will better cherish the promise of tomorrow.

While these are my thoughts, this was written with the assistance of an anonymous author whose opinion is similiar to mine. I cannot take credit for every word.

7 comments:

peggye said...

I was almost in tears after I read this. Thanks, Mary Jane. Peggy Edwards

Martha Markline Hopkins said...

Wow - such truth here. I loved your post. This makes me wonder why some of our class decided not to come to the reunion for unimportant reasons. This one - the 50th - is truly a chance and opportunity of a lifetime.

David N. James said...

Mary Jane,

Your warm and poignant post with its touching reverence to our past both sanctifies the magical time that was our youth and recognizes that, looking out to the coming years, no one knows who will be no more. So, we should honor and cherish the 50th. It will be the last reunion for some of us. An elegant prose poem, Mary Jane. Thank you for expressing your feelings so appropriately for our coming occasion.

Little Scribe said...

Thank you so much for this post. It should stay at the top for us to read everytime we visit the blog.

Jinny Curran Walz said...

I concur - that it needs to have a place of prominance - as a reminder that time is of the essence and that in the end time is the only thing we have of value that can be shared, either as living souls or as memories. Mary Jane, I look forward to our time together.

John Chancellor said...

I almost missed this beautiful post.

A beautiful tribute to those who have come to understand the true meaning of life.

Far too much of our lives are spent chasing empty dreams. Reaching goals that don't hold the promise we thought they did.

I guess we all must travel that path. But I guess as long as we find our way before we run out of time, then we can leave this life a winner.

It is great for us to read this post, to stop and think, to ask the question: What is truly important in life?

We try to tell others, but most people turn a deaf ear. Everyone, it seems, must learn for themselves.

Thanks for raising our consciousness about the 50th reunion.

Little Scribe said...

REMEMBERING MARY JANE WHO SAID: "Then comes the summer of the 50th reunion. A bittersweet time in our lives, perhaps the last time we'll all be together again. It may be the last reunion, the last time we'll see our high school friends, the last time we'll dance to the music of Buddy Holly. It may be the first time that it doesn't matter to anyone who has what or who never had it to begin with." May you rest in God's peace, dear one.