“It’s cruel” Maggie said. “No one has a name tag.” But we soon discovered that name tags weren’t necessary. Old friendships are too strong. People we didn’t recognize rapidly were gracious in sharing their names and we were off into discussions about what life has brought them in the past 50 years. There was too much to learn to be concerned about a forgotten name.
Old friends remain old friends. Heaven knows that our paths have branched off into numerous avenues, but the journey that we began together has united us in some small way for life. It is still easy to laugh and tease each other. Only the topics of that laughter and ribbing have changed. It is comforting to know that our common journey continues to bond us.
Renew and keep old friendships alive at every age. Old friends are precious.
Bonnie Fatio
This is indeed a rare month of August. August 2010 has 5 Sundays, 5 Mondays, and 5 Tuesdays, all in one month which happens only once in 823 years.
How we feel inside is what is really important. So why do we give so much weight to outside appearance?
This morning Maggie and I had breakfast at the Grove City Main Street Diner. As we looked around us we wondered if any of the people eating at nearby tables were here for our class reunion. The guy behind us looked rather familiar, though seemed too old to be from our class. Eventually Maggie asked him if he was here for the reunion. “Nope”, he said. When Maggie added that we wondered if he was from our class of 1960, he all but jumped out of his chair insisting, “Certainly not. I graduated in 1969!”
Oops! Will the classmates we meet for drinks this evening seem even older?.
Of course when Maggie and I look in the mirror, we see ourselves as dynamic, fun loving, relatively healthy and even sensuous. Is that why we see others as older? The older people we saw this morning probably think of themselves as dynamic and active too.
And that’s really all that matters! – How we feel on the inside.
Bonnie Fatio
Jeannie Slaughter, 57, USA
The first thing that comes to mind when I hear Age Esteem is enthusiasm. I’m fascinated by the title. Age Esteem is natural for me. It follows in every ladder or level for me. If you don’t have enthusiasm for whatever you do, then why do it? As trite as that sounds. Do what you love.
Jeannie’s tips: Be introspective. Think about what you’re doing, why you’re doing it, if you’re doing it well. Do you look in the mirror and like what you see? Not just external, but internal. It’s all part of being alive and being in the world and glad to be there. Everyone should serve. It’s not enough to be good, you need to love what you do and have that service aspect. Yes, it’s important to be in a position to make someone else happy.
My best friend Maggie Dull
As we age, best friends continue to hold their special place in our lives. As children our best friend may have changed daily, but best friends from our teen years remain solid. Even though we may have little else in common today, our “best friend” relationship continues to unite us. Maggie, my best friend from High School, and I plan to spend the reunion time together.
Maggie was the Chief of Police’s daughter and I was the Methodist minister’s daughter – so together we could do no wrong. Heaven knows we tried! We wanted to be bad, but when we did do something stupid like knock the head off a snowman our guilt drove us to rebuild it almost before the head hit the ground. Now, 50 years later we still laugh just at the joy of being together.
Contact your old “best friends” today and renew your relationship if you haven’t already done so. Friends are precious at every age!
Bonnie Fatio
Cranberries
When one sees this cute little fruit many happy times come to mind such as holidays with cranberry sauce to complement a delicious roast turkey.
Cranberries grow on vines in bogs in northern North America. There are vast areas in which the cranberry bushes are covered in water when harvested. What a sight to behold! – A beautiful red sea of small, round balls bobbing up and down. The American Indians used them to prevent and to treat infections of the urinary tract and today cranberries are known as a wonder solution for cystitis. They also aid in improving various digestive problems. Liver, kidney and blood conditions are also improved or healed with the utilization of the cranberry. In addition it has anti-inflammatory properties.
Cranberry got it name from “craneberry” because its pink flower was thought to resemble the head and neck of a crane; hence craneberry. The berries are first white, then pink and finally become a glorious red. They are of the same family as the blueberry.
In addition to cooked cranberries in jams and sauces, cranberry juice and dried cranberries are easily available today in supermarkets. Dried, they can be added to cereals, eaten as a snack or sprinkled on top of a green salad to give a festive appearance. In whatever form they are consumed, they will bring you health along with happiness!
Grandma Nature
In preparation for the reunion the organizers asked us to send any photos or memorabilia that we might have. To my surprise, I uncovered an old scrap book waiting to be revisited. So I have already taken a short trip back to these old friendships and events. – And I have found it to be an interesting experience to look back on those high school years as one of the building blocks in my life as I realize how far my journey has taken me since then.
High school memories are wonderful to revisit. They are important in our lives. But what is more important is all that we have done following those years to build on them and create the lives that we have today and the dreams we have for tomorrow.
Take a look at your own life. What lessons did you learn as a teenager and what experiences did you have that have influenced the life you live today?
Bonnie Fatio
Look out, here I come! This next weekend my 50th High School Class Reunion will take place in Grove City, PA (population 8027) and I will return to my teenage roots in small town USA.
Have 50 years really passed since we walked down the aisle to receive our diplomas? So much has happened since then. Will I recognize ‘old’ classmates? Will they remember me? I guess the only way to find out is to attend, so I’m on my way. Chances are that I will even win the prize for coming the furthest, since most have remained closer to the town where we learned together. Geneva, Switzerland will seem very far away to most.
I am convinced that it will be a wonderful experience to reconnect with old friends and to renew precious friendships. And an opportunity to say “Thank you” to those who have left lasting imprints.
Bonnie Fatio
They say it takes more muscles to frown than to smile. I believe that it also takes more energy to have a negative attitude than to have a positive one. It’s easier to enjoy the moment than to waste energy worrying about what might happen tomorrow.
If you have trouble finding the positives, try this simple exercise.
Surround yourself with nature. Take a walk in a park, in the countryside, or even your own back yard. Sit quietly and discover the life around you. Watch the leaves swaying in the breeze and the insects in the grass. Listen to the birds. Smell the flowers. Breathe in the fresh air.
When the Creator designed our world, it was with a tremendous imagination and purpose. Watching an inch worm persistently climb a stalk is a wonderful lesson in positive attitude. Listening to the happy trill of a singing bird reminds us to sing with our own joy. Going barefoot in the grass helps us touch down with our inner child and that wonderful time in life when we had no responsibilities, helping us to put life into perspective.
It’s easier to wear a positive attitude when we remember the little miracles of this world: the song of the lark, the journey of the inch worm and the feel of grass between our toes. – And to realize that we too are each one of God’s wonders.
Bonnie Fatio
Rise and shine! What a great expression that is.
Don’t just get up in the morning, rise and shine. Make it a great day for those around you. This includes the new people you meet in the course of your day as well as those you know. A simple smile to someone walking towards you or a friendly greeting to the bus driver or sales clerk. It is easy to shine, to share your own happiness and talents.
I’ve always loved the stories of Winnie the Pooh and to hear him exclaim as he got up in the morning, “Ho hum, I wonder what great thing will happen to me today.” When we arise with that positive attitude in the morning, it is easy to rise and shine. We are ready and eager to discover the day and the adventures it will bring – and to greet it with open arms of enthusiasm.
Bonnie Fatio
