The Start of it All

This year certainly wasn’t the start of it all; 1959 was. First grade.

This year was the start of the blog & other new beginnings yet to be determined.  It’s the years in between where all the points in time merged into a blooming, friendship of schoolmates. Some points in time are long, some short, some a continual flow.

This past winter was one of the longest, coldest, snowiest, bone- chillin’ winters we would ever want to remember. (I think I sound like Yosemite Sam!) You know the winters that legends are made of?  Our ancestors would slightly exaggerate by saying “We walked uphill, both ways to & from school, in the dark, no shoes, to a one-room school house with a single piece of coal to warm us & on a good day we had a slice of bread for lunch!” as we sat there as children rolling our eyes. (Gee, I wonder where our kids get it?!) This winter fell short of the Blizzard of ‘78’, but not by much.

We gathered in March 2011 for an overdue get-together. A breath of spring it was after this winter. It was anticipated that we needed this time together…our rebirth in spring, our celebration of one more year together. This was our communal birthday party to be celebrated with a good old-fashioned Yankee Swap for the gift giving with a side of sugar-laden cake & ice cream. Yea, life is sweet!

The Yankee Swap consisted of a delightful mix of gifts from truffles to t-shirts to a giant magnifying glass. We know not to take ourselves too seriously! We all had the common courtesy not to bring ‘Depends’, whether we needed them or not! It was a perfect balance for food, fun & laughter.

As the nibbling continued, we called the friends that couldn’t be there & made plans for the next get-together. There were other group projects planned and topics of caring & sharing that needed reviewing for both individuals & as friends. As we all donned our magnifying glasses that sit on the nose, purchased from the local dollar store, we marked our calendars. Immediately menus were made for the next gathering of the clan; pot-luck entrees, appetizers, drinks, desserts, lists of allergies & nutritional needs allowed for! We’re good to go! The cycle continues.

On that day we caught up on lots of news not knowing that we would be making headlines, our own…on the blog that is….SMFairytales! What a difference that first day of school made back in Sept. 1959 at St. Mary School.

Who knew?

Cathy