Victoria Noe

Award-winning Author, Speaker, Activist

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Friend Grief and Reunions

Friend Grief and Reunions
Jul 15, 2015 by Victoria Noe
Roses at our mass

Summer is reunion time. I have friends who are preparing for their high school reunions.

My 45th was last month, and for the first time, I missed it. I helped organize the 6 year reunion (somehow the whole fifth year got away from us), and attended the 10th, 20th, 25th, 30th, 35th and 40th. Honestly, they’re a lot more fun as time goes on.

But at each reunion, we pause to remember classmates who had died. Sometimes the death is very recent; usually there’s been some time since it happened. If it’s someone we’ve lost touch with, it feels more shocking.

My 35th was the most emotional for me. My father – who adored the nuns...

Friend Grief and Reunions

Friend Grief and Reunions
Jul 29, 2014 by Victoria Noe
Our 2010 reunionIt’s reunion season.I graduated from Nerinx Hall, a Catholic girls school run by the ever-progressive Sisters of Loretto in St. Louis. Since our 20th reunion, we’ve met every five years.We’ve met in the school cafeteria, a country club, and the home of one of our classmates. Sometimes we’ve had one event, sometimes two over a weekend. Certain traditions are included at each reunion.First, no men. We made that mistake at the five year reunion (actually held a year late) and decided it was too much trouble to entertain husbands or boyfriends. We have a lot more fun when it’s just us.Second, before we meet for dinner or brunch, we have a tour of the school to see the...

Counting the Missing: High School Reunions

Counting the Missing: High School Reunions
Jul 12, 2012 by Victoria Noe
whatwoulddadsay.comIt’s that time of year for high school reunions. Maybe you’ve been invited to one this summer. Maybe, like me, you’re in between reunions.Some people are afraid to go, afraid to face the people they knew so long ago. They obsess about their weight, their jobs, their accomplishments, and often wind up talking themselves out of going. Others have only bad memories and are left with no desire to make new ones. Some look forward to the opportunity to reconnect, take stock, and, let’s admit it, brag.Sometime after the 20th, when most people are focused on bragging, the mood shifts. We spend less time talking about ourselves, and more time catching up with people we only seem to see at...