The Present of Being Reunited

A milestone high school reunion for my class was held last week in New York. This gave me the privilege of seeing old friends that I hadn’t seen in decades.

Needless to say, it was an amazing experience. Without doubt, time flies over us, but leaves its shadow behind. The greatest gift of life is friendship, and I have received it from so many of my classmates.

One of the most beautiful qualities of true friendship is to understand and to be understood. Alan Windsor gave me a bear hug when he saw me and I understood. I would have given that same hug to Ravi if he had come.

I felt so at home going back to my high school for those brief moments. Standing outside and looking at my school on a bright sunny day, I was in the shade wherever I went because my teachers planted a tree over me a long time ago.

The more I interacted with my former classmates though, I realized I was seeing my childhood and that I couldn’t have it back. The school bus that would take me home was now heading in a different direction. A sadness came over me thinking I could never really ever go home, to my real home, and how much I missed my parents and my childhood for that matter.

But, yesterday is the past, tomorrow is the future, and today is a gift. That's why it's called the present.

The hug Alan gave me was a present, talking with Susan and Vanessa was a gift, and knowing that Xavier, Enrico, Ken, Fahim and all my friends were around me for a brief moment was a blessing.

As time quickly passed, I looked at everyone and they seemed so happy to be reunited as was I. It was then I realized that it was time to say goodbye. I think goodbyes are sad and I'd much rather say hello, so I snuck out quietly and unnoticed.

To all my classmates that I have come to know and love, let’s make one promise to one another. Let us never know what old age is. Let us treasure the happiness being reunited brings, and let’s not let it be years until we meet again.