REUNIONS- FRIENDS and MEMORIES

I have found out over the years that I have a lot in common with people I have just met, people I did not know a short while ago and people I have known all of my life. Some of course I was raised with, some I met over the years and some more recently because of the virtual reality of the internet and blogging. I have made an effort to become a media-savvy citizen. I love the computer and all of it's Blogging, Texting, emailing, etc. but I meet a lot of people by just talking to them.

I have a great way of starting a conversation, even  with strangers and it is easy and almost painless. I have three hats (well actually I have a LOT OF HATS) but these three say HIAWATHA DAY or have a big "H"on them.

I have a lot of conversations start by someone asking, "what is a Hiawatha Day?" It is easy to explain but hard for some people to understand. However after you have explained it a lot of people want to know where Hiawatha is or how long have I, or did I, live there?

Many times I have thought of how happy I was growing up in a small town. I am sure a lot of it is because there was no "high pressure or hype" when I was growing up. I am sure that times have changed since then and even the small towns are not like they used to be.

A few years ago we were sitting in the park having some lunch and exchanging stories while waiting for our reunion to get under way and two older couples drove up and come and ask if they could sit at the picnic table with us. They were traveling from the Midwest to California.

Of course they asked about our hats and we got to explain that we were waiting for our town reunion. We explained there were usually about 100 to 150 people came. They could not imagine that. As one said he could not imagine such a thing as a town reunion. He said he had been to family reunions, school reunions and he had even been to a couple of reunions with guys he was in the Army with, but never a town reunion. When I explained that the town did not exist any more, and had been a ghost town for many years. he could not imagine people keeping track of each other for 40 or 50 years just because they lived together in the same town.

Well after many years I have explained to many people that we not only have a reunion, I also keep a Blog that we try to keep track of those who pass away, pictures of people and places 50 or 60 years ago in the town we all lived in.

We also have a group of guys that meet twice a month for Breakfast together and we talk, laugh and reminisce about growing up in a small town, and many other things from 60 to 70 years ago.

Come on to Breakfast if you are from Hiawatha and want to come and  talk about those that don't come.
Wally