Late last summer we took a road trip across the country from California to Yellow Springs, Ohio. It was my husband’s high school reunion. After sixty-five years there were 13 people who attended out of a class of 55. The road was clear almost all the way. We listened to lots of music from the 60’s to get in the mood, and he read aloud from a book one of his classmates wrote, while I drove. We were steeped in his memories and nostalgia. When we got there, I could see why he loved his home town so much. I’d been there before, but this time we explored the back roads and hiked through the beautiful Glen Helen. We ate at the Sunrise Cafe, a lovely healthy place frequented by locals and tourists alike. We wandered past the newly opened comedy club opened by Dave Chapelle, a recent transplant to the town. And we had a fun party with the lingering classmates who each gave an update on their life since graduation. This took a while, but one of the highlights for me was when a dear friend shared his music. Jazzy and upbeat and poignant all at the same time, kind of like the group’s spirit. When it was time to leave the beautiful tree and light filled village, it was hard to leave. I thought I’d like to move there. That’s probably not going to happen, since our son and family live just an hour away from us and we can’t bear to leave them. We’ll find our brightness here.
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