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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Write It Out: It’s always worth the wait

Grace Nelson
Grace Nelson 79

I always go to class reunions because I love them. My class – the Ephrata High School class of 1951 – was and remains close-knit.

We’ve had a 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 55 and a 60th reunion.

There is a big difference between a 10-year reunion and those afterward. At the 10 year, most people are getting careers off the ground, families started, so perhaps a need to impress is evident.

By the 20th and 30th, we seemed to be more relaxed and have a better understanding of life and the joy in being together. It didn’t matter so much where our paths had led us. Some had divorced – which wasn’t as accepted as readily as now – but we sure didn’t let it bother us.

Living where I grew up is a huge help, and I am usually the person who gets the ball rolling each time, but there is a core group who jump in (some don’t even live here) and help put it together. I’m in contact with at least a dozen (out of about 51 classmates) during the year.

We’ve lost some over the years, and have no idea whatever happened to them, and we also lose some each year when they pass away.

I like reunions because it’s always wonderful to reconnect with those I don’t see or hear from except at those times. We enjoy just visiting – we got rid of the “dance stuff” years ago – and we re-gather the next morning (Sundays) to have breakfast together, talk about families, and sometimes we hang out another two to three hours.

We kind of felt in 2011 that it would be our last reunion. We’re all turning 80 now! But one never knows. And our community is planning a reunion in June 2014 to celebrate the 100th graduating class of Ephrata High School.

Many events are planned, and two members of the class of 1938 still live here. We hope they’ll still be sturdy and able to join in. This reunion will include my children’s classes as all 10 of them are alumni. I am hoping some of them can attend.

I understand why some people don’t attend reunions. They had bad memories of high school, didn’t feel they fit in, whatever, but we’re not the same people we were in our teens.

So, yes, I always go to class reunions.