I was just scrolling through my list of official FB friends, wondering how many of those relationships were formed at my high school, Grace Baptist Christian in Plymouth, IN. Some friends from Grace were also friends from church; some were relatives (and still are, I guess!), but there are several I doubt I would ever have met had it not been for our attending the same school. There were not many Christian schools in our area, so the students there came from many different towns and churches. Kurt Garner is one of those kids I probably wouldnt have met outside of Grace, but I am so glad to call him friend. He was a member of the Class of 87, a year behind me, but with ours being a small school, we did have several classes together. I dont know that I had a lot of personality back then, but Kurt did, lol. One of his specialties was drawing. He honed his artistic skills (and kept himself awake in class) by drawing caricatures of his fellow students. (I will interject here the possibility, however slight, that the subjects of Kurts art exercises may not necessarily ALWAYS have been students, BUT, IF, and thats a big IF, IF any other drawings were EVER alleged to have been drawn of anyone BUT students . . . Like, you know, drawings of faculty or staff, but really, what kind of kid would do that? . . well, there is no proof that that ever happened; and here in America we are still innocent until proven guilty, so I am just going to have to ASSUME that Kurt is innocent of such deviance.) Well, Im glad we could put those rumors to rest! Now, it seems that all of that drawing truly became a part of Kurts education, and actually paid off, because when he grew up, he became an architect, a historical architect. Everyone knows that architects spend most of their time sitting around drawing pictures, right? Well, the truth about Kurt is, he always did like to clown around, but he knew how to get away with it, at least most of the time, (I think). Looking back through some yearbooks, I see him working on both the yearbook staff and the school paper, playing chess, sitting in class reading an upside-down book (must have been a genius!), serving as president of the student council, and listed in Whos Who Among American High School Students. There is also this one shot of a dress form that looks like it is wearing Kurts head. . . you just never can tell what a dress form will think of next. These days Kurt, along with his wife, Chris, and their two children, live on a beautiful old farm, Sycamore Hill, and are restoring it to its good ole self. He is active in the historical preservation of Hoosier landmarks and homes, and worked to have Indianas Michigan Road declared an historic byway. He sometimes blogs about Indiana places and history, and of course I love reading those posts because they remind me of home, AND because I, too, am a history buff. Kurt and I werent close friends in high school, (although we did suffer through chemistry together; and 9 weeks of Hebrew, after which I quit, but he did not), and were not really close friends now, but, he is a GOOD friend. When the class of 87 held their 25 year reunion in 2012, they were so kind as to invite the class of 86 to join them. The reunion was held in Kurt and Chriss 100+ year old barn, and Jonathan and I were able to attend. That was the night my 11 yr old son fell in love with Kroger fried chicken! Lol :-) I got to meet Chris, a dynamic and gifted woman, and I met their children. I enjoyed that evening so much, getting to talk with friends I wouldnt have had opportunity to speak with otherwise, and others who I rarely see. Talking on Facebook is nice. Sitting around in an old barn on a cool night, by the light of thousands of mini white bulbs strung overhead, enjoying a good meal, laughing and talking until late into the night with the people you have known longer than most others . . . that is rich. Life flies by, and the rich moments are easy to miss. I am thankful to the Garners, as well as Mindy and Trish and the others who put that evening together, and invited us to share it. As Jonathan and I left that party, and we made our way down the grassy barn bank to where our van was parked, I stopped in the dark to look back. The weathered old barn was vented by cracks between every board. At that moment, each opening was asparkle with white Christmas lights, as if every star in heaven had somehow slipped inside to be part of the fun. I will never forget that sight! I dont know if this means we are old, or what, but I think that Kurt and I, as well as many of the others mentioned here, have grown to appreciate the rich moments in a way we probably werent capable of back in the 80s. I hope, for you, Kurt, that your birthday yesterday was one of those rich days. I am guessing it was, with such a beautiful family to call your own. Happy Birthday!
Posted on: Sat, 19 Oct 2013 02:46:00 +0000
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