Reunion

I'm back from spending a weekend playing golf and hanging out in Myrtle Beach with eleven guys I grew up with in the Bronx during the 50's and 60's.

It was great fun to be with a bunch of guys who completely understand each other, have deep respect and fondness for each other, know each other's great strengths and weaknesses, and have nothing to gain from each other but complete and unabashed enjoyment.

Most of us grew up in conditions that could be seen as deplorable today.  Some had parents who, under today's laws, might be jailed, while they might be put in foster care.  None had wealthy parents; just the opposite.  Some came from large families of seven or eight children, others were the only child.  What we all had in common was attending a Catholic parochial school, and growing up on the streets of the Bronx.

Hammered by similar circumstances, and tempered by the same fires of strong family, social values, and work ethic, we were all driven to succeed.  And all did - way beyond any of us could have even dreamed, back in those cramped apartments in the Bronx.

All went to college; most served in the military; all left the Bronx; some stayed in the NY Metropolitan area; some traveled the country and the world; all married and had families; some are still working, some are retired. We all talked about the past events that made us laugh, and despite all being realists about the current state of the world economy, all are looking forward to new adventures and fun.

Like a band of brothers, we came together - some for the first time in forty years, without any hesitancy in conversation or familiarity.

Life, for most of us, has elements of pain and pleasure.  This past weekend was definitely pleasure.

Somewhere in the Bronx, there's another group of kids running around on the streets and in the same playgrounds and parks we did.  They haven't any idea where they'll be in forty years, and they're not even thinking about it, but I hope that they all get the chance to reunite, play some golf, and laugh like the kids they are today.....