Occasionally, I wonder what some of my childhood friends did with their adult lives.
I learned about my grade school reunion a few months ago, and looked at a website with pictures of people I hadn’t seen in nearly 50 years. The initial contact came via Facebook.
I turned the static images into a video. As I watched it, I found myself remembering bits and pieces of my childhood. I grew up in residential area of St. Louis, when Stan Musial and Ken Boyer played for the Cardinals.
It’s surprising, isn’t it, what information is stored, somewhere in your mind.
I opened a few doors and spent a few minutes back on a playground behind St. Gabriel’s elementary school, 1500 miles and a lifetime away. Some of “the kids” became lawyers and judges, firemen and corporate workers. One became a respected pottery craftsman. They’re retired. A couple are dead.
Last week, I encountered a memory from high school via Facebook.
A former teammate is running for office as a Circuit Judge in Missouri, not far from football field we shared in 1966. It turns out, he had a distinguished military career, serving as legal counsel in Germany, Turkey, Iraq, and a variety of other locations.
His illustrious career was achieved while dealing with the loss of his only child in an auto accident at the age of 14. She was a passenger in a church van.
I remember him as a pulling guard on the football team. An exceptional lineman who went on to law school and the military, helping others and serving his country.
I wish I could say the same about my accomplishments. They seem rather insignificant, right now.
But, I am able to do something for him that he can’t do for himself, and that’s put him on YouTube. So, as a token of my respect, I copied the images and information from his website and created a video. I hope it contributes to his election.
If you live in Lincoln or Pike County in Missouri, and have an opportunity to vote for Gary Grunick, do so. You won’t be disappointed. He’ll be leading a “sweep right” into the future.
