High School Already?

My baby started high school this week! 9Th grader....time flies!!! Well, with his past track record, I am just thankful he's alive! So guess it's bittersweet! Only a few faces remain from 'back in the day' when I roamed those halls, and boy did I ROAM!!!! Don't know if it's scarier that a few teachers are still there or that a few of my old classmates are now teaching! Boy, it's seems like yesterday when I started my freshman year at old HHS!!! It's so ironic that approaching this new chapter in my son's life that my graduating class is planning our 25Th class reunion. Several of our girlfriends had a spend the night party at a friends house one weekend to celebrate our 20Th year. Fun weekend and, being true to form with our class being blessed with "luck", we had to be evacuated on that early Sunday morning in August of 2005 due to Hurricane Katrina! (We had fun though!!) We rehashed everything we had done in our years that we were the rulers of HHS! We laughed, ducked in shame, and just were also thankful we survived and were in a better place now. I must say though, we were very creative with our schemes we came up with then!And DID WE COME UP WITH SOME MASSIVE ONES!!!!! I don't have enough battery left on my laptop to go into them right now, but I will share some of them soon!!! (the fall feel in the air will give me plenty of inspiration I KNOW!!!) I just have been amazed in meeting with former classmates how different, yet similar still things are. We have all done so much changing over 25 years...come on.....ALL OF US!!! However, walk back among classmates, and time rewinds. Yep, like nothing ever changed , except our looks and figures. Most of us , hopefully, have changed in many ways for the better. But.... with former classmates, time seems to stand still in some ways. I have always tried to tell my 3 children that every choice they are making is who they are becoming and each will determine where they will end up. So true!! I also told the youth when I was youth director at our church that we live in a very small town and many could end up living here someday. Not only does a reputation stick, but you could end up someday in Wal Mart and look down the line and your face may turn three shades of red looking up and seeing someone, or some one's wife, you may have had a past with. Even if it was innocent...It's HOUSTON!!!!! EVERYTHING gets twisted here---in any small town for that matter. I personally know the struggles and battles I've been through to get this far in life just to stay married, enjoy my family, and just to be free!!! But, the class of '85 doesn't know that Lori. I was a totally different person!!!! I take very little junk from people the way I did long ago. Don't want to be rude, but you certainly know what's going on and where you stand with me. Always hated two faced, bossy, arrogant people.(And those that made fun of others.) Well, unfortunately, we are as adults still faced with these types of people but the beauty is now , we can choose to be around them or not. Back then, we were out of luck. Now there were precious few I didn't really like but only very very precious few that I truly loved!!! I talk alot and always have....but it's funny how people think because I talk alot, I tell them anything. (or that they really know me in any way) Oh I am in ways an open book but have few true heart friends that I consider a gift from God!! And I know this because I prayed for Him to send me them. I also realized He sent a few early on and He'd just been growing us up all along, together. I truly hope as Walt starts his journey through HHS that God too sends him some true heart friends that will remain in his life all the way to eternity. You know, those that know the real you, warts and all, and love you anyway and sometimes BECAUSE of that...those are the ones I pray for Walt, and my girls for that matter.(always have prayed that for all of them) I look forward to October when we all get together and reminisce about the memories and years we all shared together. I also hope that when we walk away, we see the uniqueness in each one represented...the individuality....who they are ....who we all are! I feel I spent many years having sight but not seeing much of anything. Now, I don't want to miss a single thing! How about you? We always see what we are looking for. In people we either see good or bad! I just want to see people-really see them and hear what they are saying even when they don't say anything...because not saying anything sometimes speak the loudest. Ya think? Well, that's my goal anyway.

That's all I know for now,

LO