Think Back...

LD's, when your Ms Dreamer was in grade school (a Catholic one, but don't hold that against me), there were just a few of us. In our eighth grade graduating class, there were eleven boys and seven girls. Colleen reminded me of the fact that we all had numbers (why only eighteen of us needed numbers, I'll never know. Was it to keep us all straight? Could they not remember eighteen names?).

We were pretty close, since that vast majority of us had gone to school together since we'd been in kindergarten...played sports, birthday parties, First Communion and Confirmation. I don't think there was a dry eye out of any of us at graduation. I've looked back on our class picture, and all of us girls were wearing white shoes...and it wasn't planned.

I miss those carefree days.

I tell you that to tell you this. We lost our first classmate a couple of weeks ago. He'd had a heart problem that they'd been keeping an eye on for the last couple of years, but this year, they had to operate to fix an enlarged valve.

The surgery was a massive success. Apparently, a few days after the surgery, he was up walking around, and it dislodged a blood clot in his leg. He was put into a medically induced coma. Friday before Thanksgiving, nothing was showing any improvements, so they pulled the life support based on his wishes.

Tuesday of Thanksgiving week was his visitation. I met up with a couple of friends that I've kept in touch with over the years, and it was so damned hard. At 32, we're not old enough to have this happen. But it made me start thinking.

When we were in seventh grade, on one of the last days of school, we were all given paper and told to write our names at the top. We passed them around and we had to write something nice about the person whose paper we had at that moment. I still have mine, and I dug it out the other day. Here's what everyone had to say about me back then, and I'd like to think that it all holds true today (spelling taken directly from the page :) ...)

~help people, cheers me up, your a good friend (girl)

~friendly, helpful (boy)

~your a very thoughtful person, kind, generous, very smart, and hardly ever mad!!! (girl)

~you are a great reader. you are easy to get along with and a generous person (boy)

~very athletic (boy)

~you do alot (boy)

~a great friend, kind, caring, smart, loving, generous, good at sports (girl)

~your always there to give me a ride to school and are ready to help people (boy)

~good reader, you're generous and a very smart person (boy...give the Big Guy some hell for me,

will ya, CK?)

~your nice (boy)

~your a great person, you have a great personality, your always cheerful (girl)

~you've been & still are a very good friend, I like to be around you alot, oh by the way Cubs rule (girl)

~a good friend, a great reader, good in schoolwork, she helps people out (boy)

~great reader, great singer, great in everything, funny, a little hot tempered (but it's ok), great friend

(girl)

~your a good friend (boy)

~good reading voice (boy)

~cool and helpful (boy)

~generous, fund to be around, nice person, caring person (boy)

~great personality, cheerful, joyful, kind, great gift of singing, nice person to be around, courteous and good sense of humour (teacher)

Most of us have lost touch over the years, and I miss that friendship from back then. Most of them signed their name, but I was able to figure them out based on their handwriting (or printing, as the case may be). At one point in my life, I'd cut it apart to fit in a scrapbook, but I've since taped it back together, and it's in a sleeve.

Think I'll frame it for when we get our War Room done. It'll be a nice addition for over my desk. I'll be able to look at it and hopefully draw some good vibes. I'm looking for other things to draw inspiration from - any suggestions?

Heepwah, and be safe out there.

Ms Dreamer