I taught this study, the answers to the questions in “A Deeper Reflection,” in early 2016. What a delightful and memorable time the ladies in my group and I had together, learning more about our Dear Lord, sharing our hearts, growing in our knowledge and wisdom of the Bible. I have included a picture of this precious group of friends.
As the weekend approaches, I have been communicating with friends I’ve known for more than a half century, yikes, each of us thrilled with anticipation at being together again. The maid of honor at my wedding in 1967 just recently ‘found’ me. We haven’t been in touch for over 30 years. It may be risky mentioning names because someone might be left out, and I am so excited to see everyone I knew at Webster Groves High School, but I do want to express my absolute wonder at seeing Jan Schnieders Pagoulatos, Ginny Burch Reed, Linda Monroe Yust, and Patricia Corrigan. That we are really going to be together again, even for such a short time, is stunning, simply stunning.
We each have a story we could tell one another, but time won’t allow many details. However, we can be sure that each life has been a personal journey of joy and sadness, accomplishment and defeat. Life is very predictable that way. Being from Webster Groves, students of the ’50s and early ’60s, we have had an extra measure of confidence and optimism. We were the children of the Greatest Generation, and our fathers and mothers fought overseas and served on the home front to give us the freedom to be ourselves, with nothing holding us back. We gained our strength to go forward in life from the quiet enjoyment of literature, from the quiet walk or bike ride down a neighborhood street, from the quiet moments of prayer in church. We are perhaps the last generation, the one that graduated in 1966, just before the terrible escalation of the Vietnam War, to have unknowingly lived the value of quiet pursuit.
Isaiah 30:15 eloquently expresses this truth:
“For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel:
‘In returning and rest you shall be saved;
In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.’ ”
We are preparing to return to the lovely, mid-western community that nurtured our dreams and gave us a foundation to soar. May we reflect, with gratitude, on our good fortune to have lived when and where we did. For the Class of ’66, each life journey has been formed and truly blessed by the unique compassion and energy of our town, Webster Groves.