A Simpler Time

Just for fun, the other day I opened up the hope chest my mother bought me for my high school graduation.

Originally, it contained dishes, sheets, towels and such ... things I would need in my adult life. I've been an adult for a lot of years now. After the household necessities were removed from the hope chest to actually be used, I filled the chest with high school memorabilia.

I pulled out a flattened foil balloon that said "Sweet 16." I remembered immediately that the balloon had been tied to a vase containing 16 white carnations ... my favorite flower ... that my father had sent me at school for my 16th birthday in 1986.

I fished a little deeper and came up with a hot pink Trapper folder (remember those?). The "subject" line said "Algebra I."

I rifled through the papers inside, and found more notes written to my friends than actual algebra notes.

That could explain my less-than-stellar performance in that class, huh?

I found the sheet music to "Firedance," a piece the marching band performed during my senior year in 1988. The section where I had to leave my rank and stand on the sideline to play a trumpet solo was clearly marked, and I could vividly remember doing it.

I found the medal bearing the comedy and tragedy masks that I received during senior honors convocation when I won the drama award. I remembered my drama instructor, Gil Anderson (who cast me as Elizabeth Proctor in "The Crucible" my senior year, the role that, to this day and dozens of shows later, remains my favorite) saying during the presentation, "Jamie is, in every sense, the star," a comment that made me turn red with pride and a little embarrassment.

I found a photo of me with my dog Bandit, a black-and-white Shetland Sheepdog mix who was my very best friend for many years and who I still miss.

I found play and band concert programs, letters from pen pals in Turkey, the script from my first high school play and the final edition of our eighth grade newspaper.

I found the dried corsage from my junior prom ... a white gardenia surrounded by dark pink sweetheart roses.

The trip down memory lane made me feel warm and fuzzy. It's funny how when I was in high school, I never could have guessed that all those things would end up packed away in a cedar chest and would give me such joy as a 40-year-old woman.