It was a good time. It was the best time. It was a party, just to be with you…

Simply put, we went to Westchester High School to get an education. But, we got an education in so many more ways than academics. In the process, we learned about life and about ourselves. And we didn’t do it alone. We learned it through the interactions with one another - through our friendships. And we came together this weekend to refresh our memories and to renew those relationships. We had bonded through classes, school clubs and organizations, Comet newspaper and yearbook, GALS Clubs, choir, band, sports and drill team, YMCA clubs, and the neighborhood. Some of us have known each other for, well, seemingly forever… The affection is deep and rushed to my tearing eyes more than once over the weekend. After all, we “outgrew growing up” together. Oh, the memories of those days... We laughed together and cried together. We supported each other, defended each other – we were “there” for each other. And we hurt and wounded each other. We did things that we shake our heads at and wonder how we survived. There were the what-were-we-thinking moments. There were life-changing moments. There were romances – crushes, loves and eventually even marriages. There were many “firsts” that hold a special place in our heads and hearts. And many “firsts” we would rather forget. Bottom line, we simply just shared time together, the value of which is beyond measure.

When we gathered this weekend, what at first seemed like ancient history, magically became just yesterday. So many faces over the weekend... We sought to see the teenager we knew in each of the 50-year-later face before us. And suddenly, there it was. The kid we knew was standing in front of us and we smiled. Ahhhh… the warmth of recognition, the rush of excitement, followed by a slap on the back, a handshake, an embrace. Fifty years faded and we were teenagers once again.

Call it a reunion. But, it was really more of a homecoming filled with familiarity and memories. Yet, it felt like a holiday, too. Maybe Thanksgiving - thankful for each other and the memories we shared. Or Christmas - opening up a wrapped gift each time we came together with another classmate. Ultimately, it was a celebration – celebrating one another, not just who were and what we had, but who we are and what we have.

It was an opportunity to look back with endless dialogues. At past reunions, we tended to chat about children and we seemed to be passengers in our children’s lives. This weekend, while our children may have been a quick catch-up topic with grandkids thrown in, we found ourselves talking about retirements and next chapters. About long marriages (or not!). Our moves. Our travels. Our health. And perhaps the “if-only” and the ‘I-wonder-if” questions that sometimes tug at our hearts.

At times I stepped back and observed you all. Everywhere I looked, whenever I looked, there was meaningful engagement. There was lots of niceness going on. In most cases, the banter seemed genuine and easy. Commonly, there was abundant evidence of joy. Small groups laughed together. There was always room made for one more person to join in. And there were some serious moments of conversation and sharing – no doubt meaningful exchanges of feelings and information.

But my favorite observation was the way you hugged when you saw each other, and the way you hugged good night, and the way you hugged when you said goodbye…

No matter how far we move away, no matter how old we get, no matter how much time elapses, I think we will always have a soft spot for the school by the airport and the kids we knew there.

Thanks for the memories, my Comet friends. My love to each of you until we meet again, 

Nona Monteverde (Rafferty)