Ed Jackson started our May 19th brunch with this:

I would like to start the program with a poem by Bill Watkins:

 

We gather here once more

To remember a younger day,

When life was before us

And the future a game to play.

 

Where activities with friends

Usually consumed most of our time,

And thoughts of a class or test

Occasionally crossed our mind…

 

There were ball games to play

Or as a spectator to see,

Prom dances and other outings

Where one, just had to be.

There were certain groups

With which one must be seen,

And of course those clothes

Which made our fashion scene…

 

There was whispered gossip

As we walked the school hall,

And plans for dates made

As we responded to the bell’s call.

 

There were classes in English, history,

Math, sciences and language too,

And even an occasional crisis

Which we had to work through…

 

High school was a time for friendships

To last us all life long,

And maybe a future spouse to find

To help us sing life’s song.

It was a time when adulthood

Was something we wanted now,

Because of all the freedom

We perceived it brought somehow…

 

Most of us gathered here today

Have children fully grown,

And even grandchildren or great grandchildren

To call our very own.

The careers we spent our life at

Are now mostly through,

And in truth for most of us

Life provided a bump or two…

 

It is easy for us to see

How different we look this day,

And how the rigours of life

Have over time had their way.

But as we sit and share

The memories of time long ago,

We find that inside of us

Is still the youth we cherished so…

 

I bring this poem to a close

With a personal wish or two,

That life in the future

Will continue to bless me and you.

And that what ever life

Still has for us in store,

We will ever remember

Those high school days of yore…