Ten months ago  Sharon Lewis Forrest  and I planned to have lunch. Last week we did. First, it was Hurricane Ike, then the holidays, her husband's health, and then travel.  Finally, a few weeks ago on my way home from shopping, I decided there could be no more excuses.  

Sharon works at One Shell Plaza so I had an opportunity to reacquaint myself with downtown  Houston 's one -way streets and Sharon .  Google has taken the stress out of the steets:  the same one-ways and still under construction.  Sharon , too.  Sharon 's sort of one-way, too: funny as ever, honest as always, and smart-- She's hardly changed since the day we walked across the stage to receive our diplomas. and yet, like the streets, there have been plenty of improvements made along the way.

Two hours was barely enough time to say hello but we managed to hit the high spots of forty  years-- just enough information to process and prepare follow-up questions and stories for our next lunch date in a few weeks.  Yes, it's a standing date until she moves to Boerne- even then, we'll still be close. 

Context provides our perception--especially of ourselves.  Since our last and wonderful class reunion, difficult and awesome things have altered our reality.  Old friends can't make us young but they surely can make us feel that way. Children, grandchildren, even spouses remind us of the long road of life; old friends are the true Fountain of Youth because they see us as 17--before we had aching joints and drooping whatzits. 

I'd like to challenge each of you reading this message to take the time to contact at least one person from our class that you keep thinking about but never do anything about. NOW!  Don't wait until you have time or the...whatever you think is stopping you.   After you call or write that person, share what happens:  how you feel, what you did, what your afraid of, why you waited so long---whatever seems important to your story.   

Remember: this is a challenge to contact someone old but NEW.  Sharon and I laughed about some people we had tried to contact yet for a variety of reasons couldn't get responses from.  "Would they consider us stalkers if we kept on trying?" we wondered.  If you take my challenge, please share your stories with the rest of the class but if you are uncomfortable with that, please share it with me.  Stories are the heart of a culture and the TJ culture could quickly disappear if we don't save it. Let's breathe the breath of life back into the website, and more importantly, to ourselves.

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NEWS FROM THE HOMEFRONT

Well, it finally happened.  I moved my parents into the Carriage Park Apartments right smack dab next door to classmate Dennis O'Quinn's parents.  My mom and Mrs. O'Quinn have been friends since high school and life-long family friends.  I can't say it was an easy move, BUT it is over!  I CAN say that my parents, (Mom in particular), is so much happier being in a larger space.  You all will agree if "Mom ain't happy, nobody's happy"!  This is the 5th move since November of '07 when I moved them from Lakeview to my home in Bridge City . 

We are heading to Friendswood for the June 6th wedding of my brother's middle child, my god child.  He lives and works in Shreveport at the hospital there.  I don't get to see him near as much since he moved from Friendswood.  By the way, today is my mom's 87th birthday.  A grandson's wedding....what a nice way to celebrate her special day.

Murphy and I are heading to Wimberly , TX to attend classmate Jim Andrus' son's wedding on June 20.  Also attending will be classmates Lynn Eldridge Gill, Paul Colletti, and David Williams.   It will be fun to be with them for the weekend.  

(Speaking of weddings.... Diane Richmond Miller just got back from her only child's wedding held in Austin .  Maybe she will write and tell us some exciting things that happened and also send a photo of the celebration.)  

UPDATE: Ernie Castaneda Bullion sold her home in a week's time.  They are patiently waiting to move to their newly acquired home in Lumberton (3 minutes away from me!  Yeah)

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CABRERA'S JEWELERS in Port Neche s

Remember my list of "Bad things that happened in 2008"?   One of those listed was having my tennis bracelet "stolen" from a jewelry shop.  Mom gave me my "inheritance" of her diamond tennis bracelet (a 50th anniversary gift from Dad) for a Christmas gift December, 2007.  I only wore it once and the safety chain caught on my granddaughter's tights and pulled off the loop.  I brought it to Cabrera's Jewelers  on Nall Avenue in Pt. Neches thinking the owner ( Luis Cabrera ), would repair it while I waited.  Wrong~  He gave me a story about needing to order a safety chain from Houston .  I left it there, (MY MISTAKE!), and that is the LAST TIME I HAVE SEEN IT!  Several phone calls, visits, stories he gave me, then contacting POLICE, hiring a lawyer, court date set, "settling out of court for 6 months of equal payments that NEVER CAME THROUGH, lawyer filing ABSTRUCT OF JUDGEMENT (blah, blah, blah) THEN lo and behold.....TA DAH.....an article in the PA NEWS telling of an INVESTIGATION of other "missing jewelry" and closing of his store due to not paying his lease.  Even a FACEBOOK posting from a woman that had her wedding ring pawned from there!  The  police told us that anyone else that this happened to should contact Judge Burnett by the airport.  Shame that this probably went on since Feb. '08 (and maybe before my incident).  I'm sure everyone thought their occurrence was the "only one".  Not only did I lose a $4000.00 bracelet, I lost something PRICELESS.  He will probably never have to own up to any of these items.  What a travesty.

Published May 28, 2009 06:24 pm -
PN’s Cabrera’s Jewelers under investigation

The Port Arthur News

PORT NECHES —

A longtime local business is under investigation for the possible theft of jewelry.

Port Neches Police Sgt. Jesse Fournet said the department has received calls from customers of Cabrera’s Jewelers complaining they were having problems getting their jewelry back from the business.

The case has been under investigation for about two weeks.

Cabrera’s closed its doors to business at about the same time, Fournet said.

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SUPPORT
I haven't received any requests lately.  Feel free to send any names to me so that we can support and raise our prayers for classmates, family members, or anyone else you would like to mention. 

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CONDOLENCES
Beth Hobbs
(death of her father)  
300 Wall St.  Unit #104
St. Paul, MN 55101
beth.hobbs@att.net

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I hope you take to heart the words of Janette Light .  Our class is already pretty special and tend to "keep in touch" through our unique website.  Wouldn't it be even better if we didn't wait until it's TOO LATE to connect with someone special from our "youth"?  You can find their e-mail address posted on the website under the heading CLASS LISTING.  Don't wait until they or in the MEMORIAL section~