PLAINS TWP. — There are so many things being lost during this pandemic — memories that are lost before they could even be made.
The group I feel most badly for are students of all levels. School is where we meet lifelong friends and share experiences that we talk about far into the future.
The Class of 2020, I’m afraid, won’t have those memories to talk about in the future. They will always talk about COVID-19 and how the pandemic stole those memories.
This class of students won’t be able to recall those special moments, like proms, school plays, pep rallies, athletic victories/defeats, special dates, dances, academic achievements, and much, much more.
Back in the day, 692 of us were thrown together for our senior year at Wyoming Valley West High School. We were the second WVW class, but the first to attend one high school. The year before, the WVW Class of 1967 attended three high schools — Plymouth Area, Kingston Area and Forty Fort Area. Nine towns — Kingston, Plymouth, Larksville, Edwardsville, Forty Fort, Swoyersville, Luzerne, Courtdale and Pringle — were now one.
It was a year of adjustment, for sure. With so many kids crowded together, we had little time to meet each other, let alone get to know many. Through the years, we have met classmates, not even realizing that we actually were members of the same class. We have had to remember things that we never had the chance to experience.
So, through social events, we have discovered all there is to know about each other — where they went to college, who they married, how many kids they have (and grandkids), what career they chose, where they vacation, what they enjoy, what’s important to them and who, really, they were and now are.
The Class of 2020, however, is faced with similar, yet even more challenging task. They have only had half of the school year to enjoy. They have lost those special moments that provide those cherished memories forever. Here’s hoping that when this coronavirus goes away, the students can come up with some creative ways to make some of those moments happen.
The poet William Butler Yeats wrote: “Think where man’s glory most begins and ends, and say my glory was I had such friends.”
Friends will remain with us through the years, providing valuable service to us along life’s path. When the world becomes a difficult place, friends get us through. Having friends to rely on and having them know they can rely on you is essential to living a high quality of life.
Life is filled with special moments. It also brings difficult time as well. Having those friends to call for a chat or a get together is a blessing.
And now, during this social-distancing time we are forced to exist in, know that your friends are there for you and you are there for them — now, tomorrow, forever.
Let them know that even though you are physically apart, your are still connected mentally and emotionally. Let each other know just how much you mean to each other.
And find comfort in knowing the there are many celebrations and memories still to come.
