1984 was a great book. A decent movie. A groundbreaking commercial. It was an Olympic year, back when they were held every four years. And also an election year. But, by far, the reason it was the BEST year was because 1984 was the year we graduated from Rockford West High school.

It’s been 35 years! Our classmates are over half a century old. Our high school isn’t even a high school anymore. Times have certainly changed in those three and a half decades…we no longer have Geri’s Hamburgers, Machesney Park Mall, or phones attached to the wall with curly cords stretched and tangled from hours of use. Instead we have Uber Eats, Amazon, and smartphones.

Luckily we still have Diet Coke (1982), Cabbage Patch Kids (1982), and Bon Jovi (1984).

In our 50+ years of life, my fellow graduates and I have experienced much love, extreme loss, and personal growth. We have had our ups and downs and hopefully find ourselves all these years later in a good place.

Whenever I think about my high school, I hear this cheer in my head:
Stand Up, Be Proud
Say Your Name, Out Loud–
We are the Warriors!
The Mighty Mighty Warriors!
Say hey!
Hey!
(repeat)

You might deduce from the tone of this post that I liked high school. I did.
I love that I still have friends from that time (some even longer) to experience our life adventures with and reminisce as needed. I realize not everyone has positive memories of that time, but I trust things are better now and I hope you’ll attend the planned get-together and share your successes.

With our 35th Reunion coming up this summer, I thought it would be interesting to share our Warrior Pride. I need your help with this.

The premise is simple–
I want to know what makes YOU PROUD. Send me details about something you have achieved, overcome, or accomplished that you are proud of. A couple of words, a few sentences, a paragraph or two. It could be anything from purchasing your dream home to finding a satisfying job or dedicated relationship. Overcoming an illness or physical limitation to being the delighted grandparent of one or many. Whatever has happened that took effort and deserves recognition. I will post the stories to our class Facebook page–so make sure you are prepared for the accolades and recognition!

For those readers who are not Warriors from the Class of ’84, but are equally PROUD, I encourage you to consider applying this exercise in your own lives. Call your friend and tell them why you appreciate them. High-five a co-worker and give kudos for a job well done. Share your own story with someone who could benefit from it. Reminisce and take pride in what you’ve accomplished over the years, whether it be five or fifty!

Life is all about growing and changing and dealing with challenges.
Let’s celebrate the good.
Be mighty.
Be PROUD.

Send your Pride stories to MFLamphereAuthor@gmail.com
Or Private Message me on Facebook.

Rockford West High Class of 1984 35th Reunion
Saturday, July 13, 2019  7 pm at The Olympic Tavern
RSVP to the Class Facebook Page for updates and details.