Thank you, Martha.

September/ October are a busy months, but any later gets us into the Thanksgiving / Hanukkah / Christmas hussle-bussle; winter is just as bad as Sept. for classmates with kids at home; spring is horrible for anyone with children in sports; summer is just too darn hot for those who have moved away - in other words: there is no time of year that is going to be good for everyone. Most of the people questioned before we started planning chose September and October, so that's why we went with that time. I'm sorry it won't be the best time for you. The nice thing about this web site is the ability to be in contact with anyone who has signed up, even if you can't, or decide not to, attend. There have been over 450 messages generated to date, so apparently it has had it's intended purpose of keeping us in contact with each other.

As for why attend: To me, the fact that that I'll be seeing classmates who aren't a part of my everyday life and therefore, as you put it, aren't ones who "truly matter" doesn't work into my decision to attend our reunions. These are people who shared a common experience. I am interested in the course their lives have taken. Many of them not only share high school as a common ground, but share childhood experiences with me as far back as kindergarten. We may not be in communication on a daily basis, but getting together once every ten years enriches my life. There is no way I could keep in contact with so many people on a regular basis, but that doesn't make them matter any less. We all went on divergent paths. It is interesting to me to learn about the various choices we have made and what we have accomplished.  As I get older and more of the people close to me pass on, I find that I cherish the experiences of my childhood even more. I would think that as a reverend, you would relate to the sharing of experience - the fellowship, as it were. This world has become way to high-tech and impersonal. For me, any one-on-one time is greatly valued.

Martha (Bovell) Lochert