The retirement party planning is finished and Dr. John B. Egbert is now officially enjoying the next stage of his life! The party was a success and I'm glad that we were able to enjoy old friends, make new friends and show JBE just how much we all love him.
After having spent the better part of a year putting this party together, I'm finding that my heart and mind are overwhelmed with the need to stay connected with old friends that over the last 20 years have lived our separate lives and with whom I've not been in contact! It was an emotional roller coaster Sat. night. When I saw Amy Flaker-Craig for the first time since her wedding 16 years ago, we embraced like two old lost friends do...the tears rolled down my cheeks as she said..."you still smell the same!" I'm hoping that was the Liz Claiborne and not sweat she was wiffing. Amy is one of the sweetest, nicest people in the world and I love her with all of my heart. As one of my best friends in college, we shared numerous experiences through choir, doing musicals, parties, snowy spring breaks, aerobics classes, beers and cooking chinese together. We helped each other through break-ups and shared in the excitement of new loves. But, life happened, and like soooooo many of my other friends from college...we have all done our own thing... married, careers, children for some. Life.
Keith Allen is another one of my good friends from my days at the University. He is still one of the funniest people I have ever met. You can't help but smile when he makes eye contact with you. It is truly impossible. The twinkle in those big brown eyes and the flash of those teeth still make me shutter a little wondering what the hell he's up to. His southern Missouri twang in that deep bass voice of his makes me want to pick up a guitar (if I could play one) and make him start singing John Denver's "Thank God I'm A Country Boy!" Keith was always there with a helping hand if anybody ever needed anything. He was also always there with a hand out if you had any kind of food laying around. We lived with several of our other music friends in the same old, nasty house we called "Skid Row". It had been divided into three apartments, and having choir rehearsal at noon every day with Dr. Egbert, we all saw a lot of each other. He is a kind, gentle soul with a loving heart and personality. And...I still love him dearly.
I could go on...about many more friends that I hadn't seen in 20 years, but for now, I'm writing this blog with a smile on my face and in my soul.
I'd like to thank John Egbert for giving us the musical experiences that electrified our musical family at Southeast Missouri State University in the mid to late 80's and early 90's. It was six years of my life from the age of 18 to the age of 24. In that time, I grew from a teenager with very little life experience into a young woman with confidence, knowledge and drive.
I did not know that planning this retirement party would have the effect on me that it did. I'm feeling much better about not being able to teach right now, about not being able to do any of the things I truly love... because seeing those people gave me a boost and helped me to remember that WHO I am is not what my body and disease dictate. I am still the same girl inside my heart and mind. I just had to have a nudge to find her again.
After having spent the better part of a year putting this party together, I'm finding that my heart and mind are overwhelmed with the need to stay connected with old friends that over the last 20 years have lived our separate lives and with whom I've not been in contact! It was an emotional roller coaster Sat. night. When I saw Amy Flaker-Craig for the first time since her wedding 16 years ago, we embraced like two old lost friends do...the tears rolled down my cheeks as she said..."you still smell the same!" I'm hoping that was the Liz Claiborne and not sweat she was wiffing. Amy is one of the sweetest, nicest people in the world and I love her with all of my heart. As one of my best friends in college, we shared numerous experiences through choir, doing musicals, parties, snowy spring breaks, aerobics classes, beers and cooking chinese together. We helped each other through break-ups and shared in the excitement of new loves. But, life happened, and like soooooo many of my other friends from college...we have all done our own thing... married, careers, children for some. Life.
Keith Allen is another one of my good friends from my days at the University. He is still one of the funniest people I have ever met. You can't help but smile when he makes eye contact with you. It is truly impossible. The twinkle in those big brown eyes and the flash of those teeth still make me shutter a little wondering what the hell he's up to. His southern Missouri twang in that deep bass voice of his makes me want to pick up a guitar (if I could play one) and make him start singing John Denver's "Thank God I'm A Country Boy!" Keith was always there with a helping hand if anybody ever needed anything. He was also always there with a hand out if you had any kind of food laying around. We lived with several of our other music friends in the same old, nasty house we called "Skid Row". It had been divided into three apartments, and having choir rehearsal at noon every day with Dr. Egbert, we all saw a lot of each other. He is a kind, gentle soul with a loving heart and personality. And...I still love him dearly.
I could go on...about many more friends that I hadn't seen in 20 years, but for now, I'm writing this blog with a smile on my face and in my soul.
I'd like to thank John Egbert for giving us the musical experiences that electrified our musical family at Southeast Missouri State University in the mid to late 80's and early 90's. It was six years of my life from the age of 18 to the age of 24. In that time, I grew from a teenager with very little life experience into a young woman with confidence, knowledge and drive.
I did not know that planning this retirement party would have the effect on me that it did. I'm feeling much better about not being able to teach right now, about not being able to do any of the things I truly love... because seeing those people gave me a boost and helped me to remember that WHO I am is not what my body and disease dictate. I am still the same girl inside my heart and mind. I just had to have a nudge to find her again.
