It seems like only yesterday we were 17 and graduating from high school. Recently, we met again for coffee and realized we’re all closing in on 80.
What was great about meeting up with old schoolmates was there was no lack of conversation. Greetings with hugs and remembrances of the past continued into sharing where we had been, what we had done and pictures of kids, grandkids and, of course, our dogs.
Jim, Gloria and I all graduated from Pierce Joint Union High School in Arbuckle, California.
Times have changed.
Gloria and I remembered GAA (Girls Athletic Association) trips to San Francisco. Back in the 1960s, we dressed in our little Jackie Kennedy-style suits, gloves and high heels to go to the city. We were just turned loose on our own to wander the city for shopping. We’d meet up for the ballet before heading home.
Can you imagine turning kids loose there now? Much less, dressing to the nines for a day in the city?
Now we discuss what the guys did in Vietnam, the struggles with Veterans Administration care and how you get it.
Both of our husbands served back then. Both of them were just babies, like most who were sent there. Both of them deal with health issues linked to their time there.
Yet life goes on.
We’ve all lived good lives. We are all grateful for our freedom and appreciate how we got here.
Life is good today.