by Karla Sullivan

It all started with Facebook. With little effort, a classmate from junior high 43 years ago found me.

“Remember me? ” he asked. “I saved a letter you wrote to me when I was sick in 1967.

“Would you like to see it?”

Of course, I wanted to see the letter and he scanned it to me. I also learned that this same boy had a crush on me. I had no idea. The letter reflected excellent penmanship which had always been one of my concerns and I realized the meanings in my words represented the author well. The colorful traits of thought and emotion that are still an integral part of me existed in my letter.
We found others of the era and before long, a reunion was planned to celebrate the 7th grade class of 1967. We met at a local restaurant and the magic moments began.

It didn’t matter if you had not seen recent photos of the class that had been missing in action. We recognized each other by a trademark smile or goofy laugh. It amazed me that one laugh heard that night could immediately transport you back in time to the playground or classroom setting you thought had disappeared. We stared at each other for the longest time triggering memories of the inexplicable bond we had created.

Early in the evening, I thought of my first secret love and wondered if he had been contacted. Sure enough, he walked in the door. The same intense feelings of endearment caused my palms to sweat and the heart to race. If I still knew how to blush, that was happening too.

We realized something that night. If we had once been kind to others or the studious type decades ago, we still were today. If we had been defined as the “class clown” back then, the label stuck. We exemplified the same qualities in whatever direction life had taken us. My classmates determined that I was” the writer” and though I have published books and poetry, I still didn’t consider myself a real writer. Since that evening, I accepted that, in fact, I am.

About the author
Energetic, enthusiastic with an exceptional passion to guide others toward success, Karla Sullivan has been a speaker, teacher, director in career development and is the Chicago Career Coach Examiner. www.examiner.com/career-coach-in-chicago/karla-sullivan Karla has articles that have appeared in the University of Phoenix Focus Alumni Magazine, Chicago Tribune, Sacred Journey, AARP and has also published two books called “Imagine That” and “Caroline’s Crescendo.”

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