To our friends from the Class of 1980, who have gone before us:

It is July 24th in Lubbock, Texas. We have been wondering the halls of Monterey High School this afternoon. You know it is our 30 year reunion. You are not going to believe this, but the hallways here at MHS….Well, they just don’t look right. They are carpeted and the classrooms are air conditioned. Kids these days…

But don’t worry… we are looking beyond the veneer of 30 years of remodeling. Our minds have quickly shifted to the 1977-1978 school year.

You are sitting next to us in algebra class. We are making plans together for the weekend just outside the band hall. You are hollering out at us, as we run down the stairs to get on a bus that is taking us to an out of town game. We see you making faces at us, as we wait to hear of our fate outside of Mr. Zorn’s office. Quit silently mouthing the letters. Z-I-P-P-Y. If we laugh, we will be in more trouble. You tell us that you will meet us at Taco Villa in just a few minutes…. That sounds great.

A few of us are peering into the Trophy Case near the front office. That vantage point has taken our minds back to the 1978-1979 school year.

There is a pep rally going in the gym. Friday night is the big game against Coronado. Thankfully you are in the stands with us at the pep rally and you will be at Lowry Field too. You are in your place in those stands too or…assuming your position on the field. We also see you at Shakey’s Pizza after the game. There is such much laughter. Homecoming is only a few weeks away. What? You are not going to tell us who are you are going to Homecoming with? Well OK, I should be home by 6:00, and you can call me then.

You would not recognize the cafeteria. It does not look like a…well…like a school cafeteria is supposed to look. Several of us have good memories, so we are traveling quickly back to the 1979-1980 school year.

The lunch ladies have cleared out and we are decorating for the annual Cow-town Dance. I know you are not going to dance with the same person you went to Homecoming with last year. But I can see you out there dancing. We can hear the Begees softly singing, How Deep is Your Love? as the slow dance starts.

Our tour of this newly remodeled Monterey High School is about to end.

As we make our way to exit the school, we see you sitting in your place at the commencement ceremony in the Lubbock Coliseum. The United Arena has more or less replaced the old coliseum. But nothing can replace the void that your absence has left in our hearts.

If only we had known, that we would never see some of you again after that stormy commencement night in May of 1980….If only we had known, we would have hugged more, laughed harder, and worked more diligently at staying in touch.

Our tour of the school is almost over, and we see all of you in the hallways. As we walk out into the hot sun, we are anticipating another reunion. You will be glad to know that Suter is not planning this one. It is a divinely appointed reunion. It will be a time when the image of you walking down those hallways will become a reality. We will meet the Lord in the Air and be with Him forever.

There could not be a more important reunion than that one.