Miami, Twenty Years Later.
We are Panthers proud and true. Senior Class of '92.
I am having a really hard time reconciling the fact that it has been twenty years since I left Miami. This past weekend I went back to my old neighborhood for the first time since I left in 1992. The ghosts are still there, lurking around every remodeled corner. Sometimes the wounds are so deep and vast, nothing can erase them. Not time, not patience, not grace.
My classmates also made the pilgrimage back to the 'hood, all of us from different parts of the country to wax nostalgic about Palmetto High School. I have to say, I am so impressed with them! They are the most charming and genuine people I had the pleasure of spending time with. Far removed from the drama that befalls all high schools, these folks epitomized class and kindness (save a sad few who just never grew up).
The one thing I keep perseverating on is the blanket statement most people make in these situations "You haven't changed at all!" While I understand it is typically directed from a physical standpoint, it still makes me wonder. I had several gracious classmates tell me I haven't changed since high school. I am not above vanity, thank you for the compliments! To my own credit, they know far more about me by reading this blog than they might have known about me in high school. I say that's growth, the willingness to open up and be candid about life. Good and bad. I am different and so are they.
In honor of who I was and who I am now, here is my inspiration for the 1500 words I wrote today (a personal best). I'm Not Who I Was by Brandon Heath.
I am having a really hard time reconciling the fact that it has been twenty years since I left Miami. This past weekend I went back to my old neighborhood for the first time since I left in 1992. The ghosts are still there, lurking around every remodeled corner. Sometimes the wounds are so deep and vast, nothing can erase them. Not time, not patience, not grace.
My classmates also made the pilgrimage back to the 'hood, all of us from different parts of the country to wax nostalgic about Palmetto High School. I have to say, I am so impressed with them! They are the most charming and genuine people I had the pleasure of spending time with. Far removed from the drama that befalls all high schools, these folks epitomized class and kindness (save a sad few who just never grew up).
The one thing I keep perseverating on is the blanket statement most people make in these situations "You haven't changed at all!" While I understand it is typically directed from a physical standpoint, it still makes me wonder. I had several gracious classmates tell me I haven't changed since high school. I am not above vanity, thank you for the compliments! To my own credit, they know far more about me by reading this blog than they might have known about me in high school. I say that's growth, the willingness to open up and be candid about life. Good and bad. I am different and so are they.
In honor of who I was and who I am now, here is my inspiration for the 1500 words I wrote today (a personal best). I'm Not Who I Was by Brandon Heath.
I understand your feelings. I'm actually only two years from my 30th reunion and haven't yet decided if I'll make the pilgrimage back home. And yet, I still call it "home." I haven't lived there in twenty years.
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