When you connect with friends you met when you were 18 and now you find yourselves as grandmothers, one never knows how it will go. How did we change? Did anyone go off the rails? Did the challenges of life change the exuberance we all knew when we were young?
When my college roommate, LeAnne, texted the other four of us who had known each other since freshman year suggesting a meet-up, everyone was game and plans were made. A VRBO, dining at our old dorm, time to check out the campus, and a birthday celebration. Things fell together like clockwork. We'd be back at MSU together!
Most of us came from around Michigan -- Carol from the north, Barb and LeAnne from the west, and me from central Michigan. Terry came from Pensacola, Florida. It wasn't our first get together -- but it was the first when all five of us had been together for 50 years.
As I mentioned, we met in the dorm and somehow found each other. During those years we hit the dining hall together, went to the movies that played on campus and concerts with people like The Fifth Dimension and The Association (for five dollars. Yes. Really.) We went to football games on beautiful autumn days smuggling in "hot chocolate" in chilled thermoses. (Today you can't even bring in your own water bottle -- but you can buy beer at the stadium. Go figure.) We played a lot of cards and more than a few practical jokes. (One day I came back from class to find that all the furniture in my dorm room was gone.)
Carol and I even toured in a play together during our sophomore year! (That's Carol in the red and yellow; I'm in the purple!)
As we finished school, we found ourselves attending, being an attendant in, or singing at weddings. We had a "gang" of sorts -- a bunch of really fun people who somehow managed to stick together. Some dated each other, but everyone was friends with everyone else. No cell phones to distract.
Our group met in Panera and three hours later we moved on (after laughing so hard I'm sure half the restaurant wanted to join in and if they didn't, at least knew more of our story than strangers should know). We revisited our beautiful campus (and the ugly parts, too) and walked through the pretty part.
Now and then we'd find friendly students to take our group photo!
After dinner at the dorm (things sure have changed since they slopped salisbury steak or mac and cheese on our trays as we went through the lines back then; now it's a food court!), we headed back to the VRBO where it was time to celebrate LeAnne's birthday. (Sorry about the blurry pic!)
And Carol (being the elementary school teacher who just knew how to be super clever) gave us Halloween stockings with plastic teeth, candy, apples and more inside!
After sharing as many stories as we remembered, we eventually tumbled into bed in the wee hours. And in the morning, started over again with more stories, more laughing.
The thing that will stick with me most as I look back on this wonderful gathering was that really, no one had changed. We were still the same people we were those many years ago -- just older, more seasoned (perhaps), all with different life experiences. We had two teachers, a social worker, a Navy band member and me in PR. Some lived in places across the country, others stayed in one city after graduation. One was widowed, one (me) never married but connected. Some stuck with their majors in their careers, others didn't. But we were still the same characters we were fifty years before, picking up right where we left off, as though those days were yesterday.
Maybe in the big continuum of life, where we are just specks in the history of time, it still is yesterday. Maybe it is even still today.
After I got home, I listened to a favorite song, "Old Friends" from Stephen Sondheim's "Merrily We Roll Along" (now enjoying a Broadway revival). Have a listen if you've ever thought about your old friends. His lyrics ring true.
64 comments:
Waht a time you had. Women can form those kinds of bonds.
What an utterly charming blog. Old friends are definitely the best friends. and the best friends are the ones that you don't see for years and then when you meet up like you and your friends did, you pick up exactly where you left off. So heartwarming to see you and your friends having such wonderful times making new memories.
What a fun reunion and a wonderful tribute to friendship that lasts the years.
Hello Jeanie,
What a wonderful reunion for you and your school friends.
Wonderful photos and happy new memories for you all.
Take care, have a great day!
I am sure that it was a wonderful reunion with many happy memories shared. Perhaps you’ll do it again.
What a feel good post Jeanie. It's so fun you could all get together, be happy and laugh. Not enough people can do that it seems. And I love how you said you're all the same as you were (back in the day) even if life took everyone in different directions. Thanks for a nice feel good for the first of November. And happy new month to you also. hugs-Erika
What a great reunion! So glad you all could get together and revisit your college years. I'm jealous that you got to see The Fifth Dimension and The Association for just five dollars! I've been fans of both groups since I was in high school -- in the early '80s, when I was listening to music NONE of my friends listened to.
This was a great read!
To long friendships and fun!
Wonderful when actually nothing much has changed!
What fun Jeanie! That is amazing that you were able to get together after 50 years! Incredible, and sounds like you had a really wonderful time!
Jenna
How fun Jeanie, to have a fe-union with your college gals. That is precious. Truly amazing, not everyone stays connected.
How wonderful to meet up again and to all get on so well despite the years in between.
Time marches on, doesn't it? Yet, despite getting old, the personality of each one remains intact. Lovely get together. Do it again. Soon.
The reunion looks and sounds very nice!
In my neck of the woods, much depends on what happens with the children.Those whose offsprings got in high positions,usually, won't look back on old friends.
What a wonderful opportunity! So sweet :)
So wonderful that you were all able to get together, Jeanie. You all look like you're having a great time reconnecting!!
Gathering with old friends is always a joy.
What a great way to remember those happy days! I can't say I have such great thoughts about my friends back then, I think because I never lived in a dorm, but I was busy with my boyfriend (and we are still married).
best, mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Ah, that is awesome that you five still stay connected. My oldest friend goes back to when I was in 9th grade; all my earlier friends lost contact with me thru the years, no longer writing me after my family moved to New Hampshire from Ohio when I was going into 9th grade. And then when I left NH in the middle of my senior year of H.S., those friends dropped away too (again they all stopped writing to me). I made one really good friend that senior year when I moved back to Ohio and she and my one good friend from New Hampshire I met as soon as I moved there still stay in touch with me on a regular basis. And when I moved to Florida and lived there many years, I made another close girl friend. Wish more had kept in touch but at least I still have my three close girlfriends !!
Dawn P. Albany, GA
What a wonderful time you had with your reunion. A great experience indeed.
Aww lucky girls! You made your own luck by BEING GOOD friends to one another.
Wow! What a fun time with such a great group of women! You are all looking so good! I graduated high school 55 years ago so I must be a little older than you. I still feel like basically the same person, too. Thanks for sharing your reunion! :)
Oh, fun times, Jeanie. It's nice that you got together with your college friends recently. The picture of all of you NOW is wonderful. I still have two very dear friends that I see from time to time. They were high school friends, so you can imagine how long that's been. And I have to say that is the prettiest photo of the lantern and the purple trees. It caught my eye right away. It's gorgeous.
~Sheri
I think our bodies change, and we get more wrinkles, but inside we're the same. Glad you girlies had so much fun, and hope you get to meet up again soon! Hugs, Valerie
Looks like you had a wonderful time at your reunion--great photos of you all through the years. And how nice to see you are still creating memories together...Thanks for sharing hugs, Julierose
What a great reunion..So nice to reconnect with so many old friends..Count your blessings..It doesn't happen that often..
Great title! Must have been a great rendez-vous with your old friends. It sounds you had a swell time. It is not easy to meet after several years apart, but I find that with your childhood, or teenage friends, you are friends for ever. I just met one of my childhood friends at the Copenhagen airport. We happened to be there at the same time. I think it was at least 10 years, if not more, since we saw each other last. It was like we had met the other week. We just started talking and catching up.
Thank you also for your wonderful posts of your home, your summerhouse and the fantastic autumn colours.
Hello Jeanie :=) I was about to give up trying to make a comment after four times unlucky. I'm glad I didn't however because this is such a fabulous good feel post and I enjoyed reading about your successful reunion, and going back down memory lane. Also the photos are great. I have also kept in touch with college friends, and found that they haven't changed either.
All the best
Sonjia.
Wonderful reunion, thanks for sharing your story.
What a great time you all had. Now and again I meet up with old work colleagues, we are older but we all look the same as when we first met.
This is a strong bond you all have. What a treasure moment in your life.
How awesome you were able to renew your bond of friendship after all these years. I never lived in a dorm, so I have none of those memories. One thing that impressed me was all of you are well educated and made something of your lives. No stories of drug abuse or other problems. That speaks for the type of friends you picked and those who picked you. A great feel good story, dear Jeanie.
Happy you spent some time together .. .
Hope you can do it again . . .
I have a similar group, for years we met each year.
The past few years it has changed.
Distance, deaths, illness . . .
We need to bring the “spark” back . . . and laughter!
How wondrous. And those pics look exactly like 70s dorm pics.
Jeanie,
How wonderful to reconnect with life long friends!! Amazing..I am so jealous that you still have those friendships and you are very, very lucky!!! And Blessed!!!! It is supposed to get down to 25 degrees here tomorrow morning....Crazy weather!!!
Hugs,
Deb
Your reunion made me happy, too! Thank you!
What a wonderful reunion with old friends. I'm so impressed that all of you have been able to keep in touch after all these years. I think I've only been able to reconnect with one of my very good high school buddies but we haven't seen each other in many years.
Jeanie, this is a beautiful reunion with your friends forever. I love the way you all celebrated and it looks like a fun time for sure. I have stayed connected to a couple of friends from first grade!
I'm so envious of your concerts - $5 really? I remember seeing the 4 Seasons for a lot more and I was rather disappointed. I like the songs on the radio, but their crude jokes in that NY accent was jarring. It's so wonderful that you stayed in touch all these years. That's a great gift.
This brought back so many memories for me in my college days! But I’m thrilled that all of you still get together and keep in touch with one another. Such a great time you had back then and still have today!
Your get together, Jeanie, definitely spells fun.
So wonderful for all of you to keep in touch and meet up.
It's just the best, I reckon.
That sounds like such a fun little reunion!!
I bet you all said, you couldn't believe how fast the time has flown by.
Great for you to get together.
That first photo is absolutely lovely.
I am impressed you have all stayed connected. I think I am only connected with one friend and her spouse from college. I need to touch bases with her soon. What a lovely reuniting you all had.
How wonderful that the old gang got back together again! Janice
Lovely photos. Thank you!
What a beautiful post Jeanie. It's so lovely to see you all together on your first reunion for 50 years, I still meet up with my 4 Uni friends each summer and like you, it's like we've never been apart!
Happy days indeed then and now!
Wren x
You could publish a book with your fabulous photos and stories. It would be a best seller, I’m sure.
Sounds and looks like you had a wonderful time.
Old friends are a sweet thing to have. So happy for you.
I look forward to seeing your chickadee.
Jeanie it is such a delight to see your photos with your friends then and now! You all look gorgeous! I have a group of friends from Kindergarten which we remain friends up until now. I hope we will still be just as we are, just like you guys in time <3
Lovely pics (then and now) The older your friends, the stronger the bond.
What I love about getting together with friends like that is that you immediately transport yourself back 50 years and it seems like no time has passed at all. Looks like you had a great time, love all the old pictures!
My dad came from the Southwest corner of Michigan.
Coffee is on
How much fun you had together in college and now! Friendships that last so many years are wonderful.
I have known people who completed college, and the friends they met there seem to have stuck with them their entire life. It is a precious gift, and I'm glad you all had a wonderful time reconnecting. Love all the photos of smiling faces.
I really enjoyed seeing these photos and sharing some of your memories. My sons have these kinds of friendships with their college buddies - they still travel with each other occasionally (this winter to Japan) and meet for dinner, etc. I can pick out your smiling face in the all the photos Jeanie - some things never change!
I was sure I'd commented here??!!
Lovely photographs and a great fun reunion.
Good times.
All the best Jan
This post was very heartwarming, Jeanie, and it was wonderful to read how you all reconnected and picked up after so many years. Sadly, I have never seen my former college roommates after graduation. We only spent a year together and then went our separate ways.
how marvellous. old friends are the best. i can hardly believe some of our friends have been our friends for over years! the time just flew!
how marvellous! Old friends are the best friends. i can hardly believe i have had some friends for over 40 years! the time has flown.
Wow Jeanie! What a great post. I love seeing the photos from years ago!
how great to have a bunch of friends that go way back. I was never in one place enough to do this as a kid, and since I mainly went to Armed Forces schools, none of my friends were either! I think most of us gained a lot from travelling in other ways of course. but not this one
This is so fantastic! It is wonderful how many friendships are truly timeless and how little people really change. They might change around the edges, but at their core, they are still the same people - for the most part! This sounds like a total dream get together. I have tried to do this with some of my college friends and it is so hard to pull off in this stage of life. But there will be a time after this when it will be easier to get together when we don't have young kids!
This made me sniffy! Such a fun trip you all had, the reminiscing. I still talk to my college besties and we are so scattered around the world now - two in Austin, one in Perth Australia, one in Atlanta, and then the rest of us (three) are here in various parts of Michigan. Now I want to see them!
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