I had a front seat to the memory challenge of others: the occasion, David’s 50th High School Reunion. Twenty-eight of the forty-eight classmates were present at the home of Brenda and Johnny Stroupe for the gathering. So much to take in on this beautiful May afternoon; I could feel the friendship all around us. I watched as those standing close to me tried to remember names and faces. These were David’s classmates of 1958 and many of my friends since our marriage of forty-five years. I had people approach me with celebration, but they were lost somewhere in the far reaches of my mind. I responded in much the same way as the group around me. Blank expressions were often the norm. I looked beyond them to find someone I knew, and found eyes looking back at me for the same relief. I am not alone. I saw friends with joy of recognition and fear of memory loss.
Brenda was ahead of us all. She had placed a 1949 Plymouth at the entrance to her lovely home. This home housed her as a girl and stood in the yard where she and Johnny were married 50 years ago. Now we shared together this special time of reunion on this same piece of ground. How special is that? The Plymouth is the spitting image of the one named Maybelline from 50 years ago. Classmates who had made memories in Maybelline so long ago were asked to come forward and have pictures taken. There were no blank expressions.
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