I had lunch with some of my Patrick Henry High School classmates last week. Now that we’re older and most of us are retired, we try to get together on a quarterly basis.

I attended our 10-year Class Reunion but family, busy schedules and the wine shop prevented my attending others.

This was my second lunch reunion and I will admit that during the drive there, I worried about how I looked. Would I remember everyone. Would they remember me?

I was a few minutes late but had messaged a friend to save me a seat. The full parking lot concerned me as I nervously searched for the last parking space, checked the mirror one last time, then took a deep breath.

Loud chatter greeted me as I walked past the windows of our meeting room and into the front door of the restaurant. I remember thinking, “there is so much love in this building.” Words cannot describe how my heart warmed to see familiar faces who were just as happy to see me.

Friendship exuded the room as we hugged one another, laughed at how we’d changed, remembered old boyfriends, girlfriends, teachers and crazy times of our youth. Many pulled out cellphones to share pictures of grandchildren. One of my classmates had taught our older son in the second grade so she was full of question about him. Another classmate taught our daughter but she was unable to attend.

We remembered classmates that had passed and how the newer, modern school no longer resembles the open-style school of our past. Some of us traded business cards, but everyone said to “stay in touch and see you at the next one in May.”

Reunions are a marker in our lifetime where we relive our youth and reconnect with old friends. It’s what we need in this time of our life. I hope more of our classmates will be at the next one as I can honestly say a good time was had by all!