to combat a spell of loneliness, i do NOT advise looking through old school yearbooks. all i can think is, as i scan the book from the year i graduated, did they really do their bangs like the 80's in 1994?? and how i was way before my time with the good hair. anyway, its not that i had a great time in high school, but it wasnt all bad. waiting to see the guy(s) i had a crush on pass me in the hallway, having lunch with friends who you could say anything with and impressing the teachers with my knowledge (or lack thereof)... still, reading these goodbye comments from people i never saw again, stirs a bit of feeling - so i thought i would post a few for a laugh. note: while the names have been omitted to protect their identity, the spelling mistakes, alas, have not.

there are many boring ones, with typical statements of how far ill go in life, and a lot of luck being wished. nothing exciting from the brown haired mechanic guy with the dark glasses and the romantic name of clark (sigh). one really long one from a girl who thought i wrote a poem about her in the 8th grade because showed it to her.. and uh people, it was a love poem. yeah, so you can guess she got all sappy on me. really, its good i was much smarter than her and didnt have the same classes. (i cant leave this paragraph without saying the girl was really sweet and although i dont really remember the specifics about the poem incident, i can assure i did not write it for her. still, one takes friends were one gets them.)

stephanie, ill always remember sitting next to you at the lunch table (doing crossword puzzles, writing your summary, doing crossword puzzles) and yes you finally got your senior pictures taken before i did. dont forget 'all for one, one for all'. i wish you the best and ill miss you. {didnt really think i did them that much.. and whats the deal with the three musketeers thing? memory fails me}

stephanie, so how has emily [my sister] been lately? you are the only girl i know that likes to play with a knight made from legos. good luck after graduation and i hope you excell in what you want to become. {so this lego infatuation is not a new thing with me... and secretly a bunch of guys in my grade had the hots for emily and would always ask me about her.}

stephanie, you are a great friend and i hope we stay in touch in the future. i will never forget your idea of the tunafish with cheese and mustard sandwich, but will probably never try it either. {i was a culinary experiementer even then}

steph, i know when you look back at this in ten years your going to realize how much you were really in love with me. too late. cya. {oh god im too late}

the 2nd grader i sponsered was the most practical. she left her name and address. think i should look her up now? wait, shes probably in college by now. shucks.

stephanie, well what can i say youre a stephanie you have such a long name... {rest omitted since it goes on in this fashion for awhile}

to a cool girl, with cool clothes {what?! i never thought the clothes were cool} and an even cooler sis {well i always knew that}. hope you aspire to be what you want to be {okayyy}. good luck in the futcher (thats edukation for you in the states.)

and my personal favorite. where is this guy now??

dearest stephanie, i am thankful that i had the chance to meet you this year, but i wish that i could have known you sooner. you have been delightful to know and ill cherish the experience always. as we should all remember some part of higher wisdom, i found some that holds true to you. remember 1 peter 3:3-4: "your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of a great worth in God's sight." for me, your wit outshines all others and your personality shines like a fine jewel. keep this wisdom close to your heart, and remember me warmly.

oh sure, you write that in all the girls yearbooks... warmly indeed. im glowing.