(Submitted by Kristie Liddell)
20 years. It's so hard for me to believe that it's been that long since we walked across the stage together ending a 2 year oddesy and starting our own personal journeys. We parted from MUW's campus and ventured out to many different parts of the country. I don't know about you guys, but I did not have to actually study anything new until my sophmore year. The one thing that was missing from my college experience that we had at MSMS was the genuine concern about my success as a student.
The teachers and staff at MSMS really cared about us. They did everything that they knew how to help us cope with the academic troubles that arose while also helping us to deal with the challenges of being away from family and friends for the first time. Girls, remember when we moved into Fant and there weren't any desks? We had to pile all our books up in the middle of the floor. My aunt (an educator) came to visit me during this period and was worried that they were putting too much on us. I thank God that they challenged us the way they did. We learned that we could do anything we set our minds to if we worked hard.
Even though we had our own cliques, we all shared an experience so special that it sometimes seems like a dream. I remember when Vel died. The thing that I remember the most about him was his smile. Vel was always smiling (almost as much as Kevin (Gillespie) walked around humming/singing "Don't Worry, Be Happy"). It was such a special time. We were so young and innocent.
We had no idea what the school would become or how big of an impact that it would have on our lives. We are all still geeks (on some level) whether or not it is obvious. Just have a conversation with anyone of us and it is clear that we are "different" (in a good way). I hate I missed out on the 10th or gathering for the 15th, but I promise that I will do all I can to make sure that I don't miss any more. I really do want a do-over for those years or at the least, a do-over from the reunion. Next time, I won't fall asleep in a chair or break my heal dancing too hard :-).
Love you guys
--Kristie
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Kristi, It is ok that you fell asleep. It was after 3am after all! Thanks for your thoughts. It made me think of Vel and going to his funeral. Vel was my first friend to die. I remember going to his funeral and crying so hard I thought I was going to throw up. The preacher had all of us MSMS students sit in the front choir seats facing everyone in the church. He was such a happy, inspiring, and wonderful guy! Shannon
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