AuburnChick's Adventures

My closet-cleaning chore led to an unexpected trip down memory lane when I discovered a VHS tape in one of the boxes.

At first, I gave it a cursory glance and started to close up the box.  However, I decided to take a closer look and discovered writing on the sleeve…”Graduation.”

Ok.  Think now.

VHS tape.

Graduation.

Could we be talking my graduation?  Especially when I was looking at the spines of my high school yearbooks, which were packed in the same box.

I almost ran to the living room, where our VCR is located.

I called the kids in and told them that I thought we were in for a treat.

We were.

It WAS the video from my high school graduation!

Folks…you don’t know how big this was.

You see, just last week, my sister had pulled out a video from when our children were toddlers.  She called me, and we laughed as she told me how twangy her voice was.

We grew up in the Heart of Dixie…LA.  No, not Los Angeles but Lower Alabama where twangy is the only speak you speak, so to speak.

What strange timing that I would find this video shortly after her own last week.

The kids knew that I was Salutatorian of my class…hence Your’s Truly had given a speech.

We sat in anticipation.

The first chuckle came when the kids saw me begin the short walk to the football field.  My hair was almost the same as it is now…a lot blonder (naturally) but just as curly and long.

I watched the camera pan out to my classmates.

Oh gosh…I got a little emotional here.

Chicky commented that it was weird to see me at that age.  I reminded her that I was only six months older, on that tape, than she is now.

Weird.

We skipped to my speech, and that is where the fun began.

Folks, the sound of my voice came as a shock.

Oh sure, nobody likes to hear themselves talk, but this was something else altogether.

My voice sounded like a cross between Scarlett O’Hara and Melanie Wilkes (from the movie Gone With the Wind, if you’re not familiar with these names).  It was higher pitched and syrupy.  My words flowed in the gentle southern drawl that melts like butter.

The kids and I spent a few minutes laughing hysterically.  I actually had to pause the tape.  When I started it again, I sat, mesmerized, by…well…me!  Although I remember giving that speech, it just didn’t seem like me.

The speech seemed to go on forever.  Bet you’re not surprised about that.  Go ahead and laugh.  I know you want to.

Some things never change.

I watched the rest of the graduation.  It didn’t take long because there were only 18 of us. Eleven of my classmates went to school together from first through twelfth grade.  Small schools=small classes.  It’s hard to believe that graduation was the last night we were all together.

We were a close bunch that laughed together and fought together.  We cried together when one of our own shot herself (we like to believe it was an accident) when we were in the eighth grade.  She lived across the street from the school, and we heard the gunshot.  It was a sad memory that was recalled when, during the graduation ceremony, we paid tribute to her.  We were blessed to have her parents attend that night.  Seeing their faces as they accepted a plaque from us really touched my heart today.  I still visit her grave when I’m in town.
As the tape ended, I felt a sense of melancholy.  I wasn’t ready for the reminiscing to end just quite yet.

I began to thumb  through the yearbook from my senior year.  I recalled the heartbreak and joy that were a part of that year.

It was the year I grew in confidence.  I played an active role in many clubs…editor of the yearbook, president of the Pep Club, and Vice President of the Beta Club.  I saw the picture of the girls basketball team.  I was a member of the team benchwarmer.

The Senior Who’s Who was fun…I got Most Studious (no surprise) and Most School Spirit.   I was pleasantly surprised to see myself holding the first place trophy I won during the State Typing Division 2 Tournament.  I won it typing on a dinosaur…an old manual typewriter!  My right arm was strong with the hours I spent throwing that carriage return.

My trip down Memory Lane was wonderful…especially since nobody in my class arranged a 20-year reunion.  It gave me time to reflect on my classmates and the affect they had on my life.  I fought with some, “liked” others (wink), and confided in a few.

These were long-ago memories brought out from the closet of my mind.  It was a welcome respite from my day of work.

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: graduation, high school, memories |