2014 Reunion Banquet Invocation
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Greetings Beloved Grads of AHS Class of ’64 and guests! Looking out over this sea of shining, smiling faces, the year and a half of prep time counts as weightless toll. Last night’s gathering was a sweet preview of what it is and how it feels to gather with the sole purpose of sharing the best life has to offer: mutual loving-kindness and authentic interest and caring. Perhaps the ante is raised tonight in that there are more people and perhaps less time to make that significant Connection with each one here. Yet…let’s give it our best shot. The only thing better than receiving love is being the conduit of well-being, hope, and upliftment for another. As we radiate love and good will to others, we open the channel for more love to come to us. Love is the magnet that draws to us all good. You know my intention from the beginning has been to be part of creating a reunion in which each one attending would feel a part of, included, important. I know thought and intention are powerful. They are absolutely creative. With that in mind, I ask each of us to close our eyes for a moment and outpicture, visualize an evening so charged with the Joy of reuniting with old friends, and the delight of making new ones, that it will stand as a permanent positive anchor within us. Let’s do that right now for a few moments…visualize what this night would be if it were PERFECT in your eyes, mind, heart. Thank you. My hope is that the memories made tonight will buoy us up when the inevitable ups and downs of our senior years occur. We can flashback to this evening and feel an instant warmth, delight, happiness regardless of what our present experience may be yielding then….re-anchoring ourselves in strength, courage, positivity. The flux of the human heart is gone forever at the transfixing touch of pure love. As the poet Walter Scott said (and we studied him in high school, didn’t we?), “Love rules the court, the camp, the grove, the men below and saints above. For love is heaven and heaven is love.” Let’s create our own piece of heaven tonight! I will also share that at the eleventh and a half hour we ran into some most unexpected budget difficulties. This is the reason we are having silent auctions on a few things. I also choose to offer my heart-felt thanks to an attendee present and perhaps a few of their alumni associates who are willing to assist us if we require more financial inflow. This is love in action! Of course we are hoping their assistance won’t be required…may you enthusiastically bid on some very lovely items! It is my privilege and honor to invite Lorna Lund Collins onto the stage to receive small tributes from we who worked and served with this true motor behind what we see here tonight. Prodigious is not a powerful enough word for the extent of her labors and dedication to our successful, unforgettable 50th Reunion. Scarlett, our incredible floral designer, will present roses in Lorna’s favorite color…50 roses, if each rose symbolized each of the thoughts, prayers, actions Lorna unstintingly gave for the happiness of all of us, there would be 50,000! (The singer with the band sings a bit of “Hero” as Lorna comes up.) (Scarlett Larkin, our alumni floral designer par excellence, presents 50 roses to Lorna) We also chose to give Lorna something that would last longer than these lovely flowers…a necklace inspired from the tiles at the Alhambra, Spain. Thank goodness her husband Larry gave us this tip of something she would enjoy having! We have inscribed it as follows: To Lorna, Our Hero, AHS 50th Reunion. (I place necklace on Lorna as singer ends with some of “Hero”.) |
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