Life goes on. We have all heard it. Perhaps we have even said it. Add a little age to the thought and we have all experienced it.

This past weekend was no exception and simply proved the point. Ivy and I would miss Apple and Pork for the first time in years. Instead, we would be going down to Carbondale and Sesser. It was my law school class’s 40^th reunion and I had never made a reunion until last Saturday.

We missed out on Apple and Pork, the food, the nostalgia, and the entertainment. The original founders like Tom Bray and John Viers have all passed on. The Kiwanis tent that I sweated in for years making funnel cakes is now operated by a new group. Kiwanis is gone, but the people have their programs and agenda to present. A & P continues with new people in charge. New memories are beginning, but the old still have their memories. Life goes on.

The law school reunion was held at Giant City Lodge. The lodge is rustic and with great food but arriving is always a challenge. Forget the interstate, you will be driving on winding and narrow two-lane roads. Thirty-five of us and our spouses attended. Many of us, including me, had not seen our classmates in the 40 years since we graduated. Let us say that the hair style and quantity has dramatically changed. I was walking with my cane and another classmate was in her wheelchair. We have all had careers and family situations. We didn’t talk money or politics. We talked about our three years of endured togetherness. We praised those professors who gave quality to the experience and castigated those who were simply jerks that we were forced to endure. We remembered the rigors of study and the fellowship at our backyard pool parties. We remembered those who had passed and acknowledged that 39 classes had followed ours and more were to come. Life goes on.

We then went to church in Sesser, where we had attended for 10 years during and after my law school experience. The church was then known as First Christian Church of Sesser and is known today as Jesus Center. We had not been to this church in ten years. While the theology appears to be the same, there has been a decided movement towards a more charismatic worship service. To say that Ivy and I were caught off-guard would be a very fair observation. A young man who we knew from when he was a child came up to us and said, “The service is different now, isn’t it?” Truer words were never spoken. Life goes on.

Sesser is in Franklin County. Franklin County was the bluest county in Illinois, with the possible exception of Cook County, when I was in law school.  Right now is the height of the campaign season. I saw numerous Harris signs when we were near Carbondale. In Franklin County yard signs for Harris were simply not to be seen. There were Trump signs everywhere. When we lived in Franklin County, we were the distinct minority. The coal mines have shut down and that solid blue union vote has now gone deep red. What a difference a few decades can make. Life goes on.

Back in Clinton, Ruth Lowers has passed. Ruth was known in the public for her involvement with her husband Ted in Lower’s Catering and Ted’s Garage. She was also well known in governmental circles as a school board member, one of the founders of the Clinton Education Foundation and as the private secretary to Judge Peters, Judge Bryan and Judge Koritz. Whether it was voicing an opinion at a school board meeting, assisting classroom teachers with the foundation, keeping a judge on schedule or simply being the community’s chef, Ruth made her presence known. While the loss of Ruth cannot be replaced in her family, others will step up and follow her example in community service to this community. Life goes on.

My great granddaughter just left my office after coming in for her daily visit. Ellie is six months old and full of vibrant energy. She loves to pull everything out of my shirt pocket and take off my reading glasses. I concede that I am the old guy in this engagement and would have it no other way. The young lady is the future of the community. We are just here for a moment. Life goes on.