25 years ago

This weekend was my 25th College Reunion and as I had posted early this week I was nervous to go. Well now that it is over I have to say I had the best time. I never considered myself an "in" person in college, actually just the opposite, so hearing the stories of how I impacted others lives just by caring, saying hi, and being there when they needed something really made this a wonderful weekend.

If you remember my post about being nervous I had 4 things: what if no one remembers me, what if I don't remember anyone, what if I have 120 people wanting to be my new friend, and how do I lose 40 pounds in 2 days. Here is how those all played out.

What if no one remembers me: This was not the case at all and I was surprised people still called me by my nickname "Nermie". When we were introducing ourselves I said my name and a number of the tables of people yelled "NERMIE". Yes, people do remember me.

What was fun around this was that after 25 years people have memories of the impact I had on them and they were more than willing to share those stories. How I was there for them in a very difficult time, or how much fun the floor had while I was the RA (Resident Assistant), or how we would make snow living rooms and pets outside the dorms...story after story was about a memory that I had no idea existed in someone else's mind.

What if I don't remember anyone: This was also not the case. It was like we had never left and as people would come up to me or me to them they would say their name and memories of our time together came rushing through. Good and bad, but we all survived and we all are better off from the experience. People that as soon as I say them I knew their name and was so happy to have just a few minutes of their time catching up. We all struggled together through 4 years of our lives and even with it being 25 years later, we all had a common bond, a common purpose, and a common story.

What if 120 people want to be my friend: This may be the closest to the truth of all nervous fears, but one that I completely hope for now. No, not all of them, but those that made an impact on me it was good to connect again and I hope we do stay in touch and see each other again. We exchanged business cards and we promised to think of each other from time to time. What I found was these 120 people have always been my friends, have always been part of my life, and will always continue to be.

The losing 40 pounds didn't seem to matter to anyone and I think everyone wishes we could look like we did 25 years ago. Men are going bald, women had put some weight on...bottom line is no one cared. It wasn't about how you looked it was about who you are.

This has been a remarkable weekend and I am so thankful that I was pushed to go. I learned a lot about myself by facing memories and people of the past and I have come out the other side with a renewed peace of understanding that in our every day lives we do make lifelong friends, we do care, and we do have an impact on others.

So to the class of 1985 from Concordia College I say thank you. For the memories, for the caring, for the friendship, and for the impact you have had on me.