Reflections on Life

Last month marked the 25th anniversary of my exodus from high school (more commonly known as graduation). Next week is the quintennial high school reunion (the 25 year one, of course) and it is one that I won't be able to attend due to the recent move, and lack of fundage and transportation (hopefully, I will be able to make the next one in five years, since the past two that I attended were rather enjoyable.) Anyway, this anniversary prompted me to look back upon the past 25 years and all the changes that have taken place since high school. My life has had its ups and downs, and it's been rough quite a bit of the time, but I've been lucky. In the 25 years since graduation, we've lost too many young promising classmates too soon (OK, we've only lost seven that I'm aware of, but in my honest opinion, seven is still too many.)
One girl, Vicky Comstock did not even live to enjoy her senior year. She lost her life in a house fire the day before school started that year. I still remember the shock and sadness of the first day of school that year. The usual excitement of catching up after a summer of not seeing friends and classmates was replaced by a somberness and the realization that one of us was missing.
The second loss was probably the most shocking. Amy Rusnak, a bright young girl with an infectious smile and laugh and a promising life ahead of her had her life cut short about a month after graduation. She was on her way home from work when her car was struck by a drunk driver. That news was probably the saddest I had received that summer. I remember sitting in my brother's dorm room in Rose Hall on EUP's campus talking with him and some of his friends when I heard the news (I believe it was our mom that called and relayed the news). I just sat there for what seemed like an eternity in shock (it was in reality probably only a few minutes) before I choked up and broke down and cried. At that time, I was a fairly peaceable and docile young person, but I remember wanting to go out and kill the guy for ending this young girl's life. Someone so sweet and kind didn't deserve to have her young life taken away like that.
The third came shortly afterward. John Klimek had been diagnosed with Prostate Cancer sometime earlier on, and despite the chemo, and other treatments, he succumbed to the disease. I never knew John that well, but his death hit be hard none-the-less.
The fourth came three years later, when Bruce Sokolowski lost his life in a frat house fire. I remember that night vividly, as I had just returned to my dorm room on campus from a party at a friend's house. I could see the flames from my room on the 8th floor of Lawrence Towers and watched it from my window most of the night. The next day, I learned of Bruce's fate. His death really hit me hard as Bruce was my self-proclaimed "protector" all through high school. If anyone would pick on this short quiet kid, they would have to deal with Bruce. That night, the world lost another good soul.
The other three I didn't find out about until a year or two after they passed from this earth. Cindy Trask, and Nicole Wittenburg both lost their lives some years later to illness, and Lisa Petulla, if I'm not mistaken lost her life in a motorcycle accident.
It's been 25 years, and we're all getting older. I guess the real reason I'm disappointed that I won't be able to attend this class reunion is because this might have been one of the last chances that I would have to see some of my classmates. We're not getting any younger, and each passing year brings us closer to our own passing. I just keep praying that the rest of us have a few decades left to us. And to those that have gone before, I look forward to the final reunion when we can all be together agaim.