One must always maintain one’s connection to the past and yet ceaselessly pull away from it. To remain in touch with the past requires a love of memory. To remain in touch with the past requires a constant imaginative effort. – Gaston Bachelard
On Friday night and Saturday, I attended the 30-year reunion of The Donoho School‘s class of 1988. My friend Huey began a Facebook post about it with the above quote.
To be clear, I am an alumnus of Bob Jones High School. However, I attended Donoho from first grade through fourth grade—through the 1979-80 school year—and I remember it as the happiest time of my childhood. I was delighted to be invited into the class as an honorary member for the reunion. I saw people I haven’t seen in 38 years.
Part of what made it a special time is pretty straightforward. I was old enough to form vivid memories, yet young (and blessed) enough to have a life free of complex problems. Probably lots of folks’ halcyon days are from age 6 to 10 or thereabouts for that reason.
My mom and dad were rowing in the same direction for me and living in the same house. That was huge.
I started becoming a writer in the fourth grade. Mrs. Thagard was the first person to plug me into the limitless beauty and strength of the English language. I enjoy a special relationship with her and her husband today, and was happy to see them this weekend.
It’s hard to set it all down without diminishing it. Perhaps more will come to me. Perhaps not. Mostly I’m thankful for the fidelity of my memories, and additionally thankful that some of the principals can and do celebrate them with me.
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