As you read
this, I’ll be flying from Madison, Wisconsin to Minneapolis, Minnesota. From there I’ll take a shuttle to St. Olaf
College in Northfield, Minnesota, a Lutheran-affiliated college I attended back
in the dark ages, when we actually communicated by writing letters, making
phone calls and talking to each other face-to-face. Women stayed in their own dorms with a 10:00
curfew; men had unlimited hours. Don’t
get me started about THAT inequity.
Computers? Not one on campus.
By now
you’ve figured out this is my 50th reunion; why am I going? I write annual
Christmas cards to ONE person in my graduating class; I attended the 25th
reunion, and learned my college years were more fun than I remembered, but I
did not begin corresponding with anyone at that reunion. Still, I am returning to this college full of
Scandinavians, at great cost and effort, and I’m not sure why. What’s more:
1. My husband isn’t going (this would be water
torture to him); so I’ll be skipping all the ‘extended’ events after the 3-day
event…which are for couples
2. My Christmas card pal can’t come because
she’s fighting cancer.
3. I tried to help on the planning committee,
but couldn’t do much from afar.
4. I attempted a book signing with other
writers…at first four were interested; now I’m down to (maybe) one other person
sitting with me in the St. Olaf Bookstore for an hour.
5. I've made a couple feeble ‘see you there’
overtures. In fact, the event reminds me
of important relationships I did not continue.
(An additional angst…my classmates didn’t reach out to me, either!)
6. We lost so many of our classmates in service
to our country or because of illness or accidents. My college boyfriend died at age 58! The memorial will be tough.
7. I don’t like the feeling/notion of an end
game; this feels a little like a ‘so long’ event.
But you
know me, the half-full glass woman…what will I get out of this reunion?
1. A reminder of who my classmates were and how
far they’ve come; and who I was back then and how far I’ve come.
2. A second reminder of the fun I had back then
and the fun I’m still having (which is the truth).
3. A couple new readers (I mean, come on, one of
my books-Lie Catchers-is full of Norwegians!)
4. A good feeling about the aging/saging years,
especially since I have robo- knees!
5. Recalling what special people I went to
school with for four years (One of my roommates was a brilliant mezzo-soprano
who sang opera in Germany!).
6. Enjoying the three days for what they are, a
time when a bunch of bright, successful,
aging Scandinavians get together to share memories and sing old fight songs.
Here’s one
song (this tells you how unusual we are…try this with a Norwegian accent):
“We come
from St. Olaf, we sure are the real stuff, our teams are the cream of the
colleges great. We fight fast and
furious, our teams are injurious; we know Carleton college will sure meet its
fate. Um Ya, Ya, Um Ya Ya (This goes on
for awhile).” I know. Crazy.
Try this:
Lutefisk,
Lefse, Rummegrot, a Sil, we come from St. Olaf, the college on the hill.
So think
of me these next three days, finding balance and fun at St. Olaf, trying not to overthink the whole event. If you
have some reunion advice, I’ll take it!
Note:
On June 10, I’ll give you a play-by-play of what I learned. I promise.
More about Lie Catchers, my Amazon Encore/Wild Rose novel, set in contemporary Petersburg, Alaska, a town full of Norwegians who arrived in the early 1900's. I take on a real cold case from 1932 along with a recent murder. Here's more:
http://amzn.com/1628301651
More about Lie Catchers, my Amazon Encore/Wild Rose novel, set in contemporary Petersburg, Alaska, a town full of Norwegians who arrived in the early 1900's. I take on a real cold case from 1932 along with a recent murder. Here's more:
http://amzn.com/1628301651
Two
unsolved murders will tear apart an Alaska fishing town unless a writer and a
government agent reveal their secret obsessions.
Treasury
agent Parker Browne is working undercover in Petersburg, Alaska to investigate
a money scam and a murder. His prime suspect, Liv Hanson, is a freelance writer
struggling to save her family’s business. Free spirited, full of life, and with
a talent for catching liars, she fascinates Parker.
Trying
to prove she’s a legitimate writer who cares about Petersburg’s issues, Liv
pens a series of newspaper articles about an old, unsolved murder. When her
cold case ties in with Parker’s investigation, bullets start to fly.
Parker
understands money trails, and Liv knows the town residents. But he gave up on
love two years ago, and she trusts no one, especially with her carefully
guarded secret. If they mesh their skills to find the killers, will they
survive the fallout?
Lie Catchers: http://amzn.com/1628301651
