September 22, 2018
To my dear classmates:
The 60th Reunion
It is Thursday, September 20th and I just arrived home, to Victoria, BC. On yesterday’s daylong journey, I had time to reflect on our reunion. My thoughts start with the certainty that, for me, this was the best reunion we have ever had. It seemed that with so many years of retirement behind us, (for most of us that is), we no longer derive our identities and self-esteem from our careers. Time has passed and in that period we have become more “real.” We are more human beings and less human doings!
Life has brought every one of us challenges over these past 78 or so years, which we have met and resolved, at least to some degree. And if that was not possible, we have accepted the more tenacious ones.
There was an aura of relaxation between us, likely a result of a comfort with ourselves, that was either consciously or unconsciously picked up by others. It made us more approachable, and more willing to share our life journey with those with whom we have such a special bond from our formative years.
We enjoyed discovering we could easily communicate with some former classmates that we never got to know in high school. It was also a time for renewing bonds with those close friends whose friendship goes back a lifetime.
All in all, it left me, and I hope you, with a warm glow, to carry us through the long winter ahead. To all my classmates, thank you for being a light in my life.
Laura Fellman
Madison West High School Class of 1958 