On November 15th, 2025, Plainview’s Class of 1985 held their 40th Class Reunion at Toros Cantina and Grill in Rainsville, Alabama. I happened to notice the post on Facebook, and for us, it was almost last minute to make plans to attend, which turned out to be over nine hours of driving from our house to Rainsville. The time traveling on the road, however, was worth the trip, but overall, the weekend was somewhat a blur.
Seeing former classmates and friends, some I’ve not seen since graduation, was wonderful and bittersweet. In so many ways, it’s difficult to comprehend how forty years have passed in what seems a few blinks of the eyes. How fast time slips past us. How much we’ve changed, too, during that those four decades. Catching up, or listening, as others discussed what they’ve done during the years after graduation was exciting. Squeezing in all the information in only a couple of hours was impossible. Yet, unspoken memories returned between us during those two hours as well.
In elementary school, our class had over 120 classmates. As the years passed, the number became less and less. People moved away. Some dropped out in high school. By the time graduation came, we graduated with less than fifty students.
Because most of us were classmates from Head Start through our Senior year, we are like extended family. We grew up together, but after graduation, we drifted in different directions. Some, like myself, moved long distances away from our former childhood homes, and it’s rare that I get to return.
Several mentioned that they didn’t know if they could’ve traveled over nine hours to be there. But, this is the first class reunion I’ve attended, and I said that I’ve no idea how many more we’ll have, so I wanted to be there. I’m so glad I got to be there, too. It’s great to reconnect, though I wish the amount of time was longer than a couple of hours. Each member of our class holds a special place in my heart and memories. May God bless each and every one of you, and I hope to see you at the next reunion, if I’m unable to visit sooner.