Speaking of way back. I’m in Houston for my 60th high school reunion. Although to be absolutely clear, we’re celebrating the 60th anniversary of our graduation from high school. We haven’t actually had 60 reunions. For those of you keeping track, the school in question is Memorial High School in Houston. It was the third high school I attended. I started at St. John Vianney Minor Seminary in Richmond followed by St. Paul’s Catholic High school in Portsmouth. Only Memorial remains active.

I loved Memorial. It was clean and new in 1963 when I got there, and one teacher in particular, Ms. Elaine Pritchett took a shine to me. Luckily, she was my journalism teacher. It’s safe to say she launched my career and my life. I made a fair number of friends, too. We’ve kept track of one another in much the same way a comet does the earth as it circles through the universe. We talk or see one another at least once a year or at reunions. Although, social media gives us a robust digital connection and that’s nice, in fact it has broadened my friend base considerably.

It also helped that I decided about 25 years ago to get involved in the reunion activities. I figured it would be a good way to renew acquaintances and make new ones. And that’s what happened. In fact, I had dinner and wine with two out of town acquaintances/friends in Fredericksburg right before the reunion. And I suspect we’ll now keep in touch. So, the friend circle grows. Which just goes to show you’re never too old to make friends and renew acquaintances if you put yourself out there, be open to new experiences, and live long enough.