Joanne Seay:
CLASS OF 1970
Columbia High SchoolClass of 1970
Columbia, SC
Joanne's Story
Life....
If you're reading this - then like me -you're getting old(er)! I personally am trying to do so gracefully although I find it is easier said, than done.
When I reflect over the last 39 years, which by the way, passed in a blur, I can't help but wonder if the innocence lost is in proportion to the wisdom gained. One can never predict what life has in store.
When we were in school, we were so impatient to graduate and get our lives going. Ahh, but still there are such sweet memories. Friends that you made, some leaving traces of fun and laughter that are treasured many years later when something happens to make you pause and reflect on a particular day, song, football game or event that
if for only a moment ~ brings a smile. It's often the little things that you file away in your memory that come flooding back. Have you ever noticed that? Lockers slamming, the crowded halls and stairways, a din of noisy students, occasional shouts & laughter. I loved our pep-rallys & the bright lights and crisp air at the football games. The intense spirit! Not to mention~ going to either Pizza Hut, Genes Pic N Chic or Doug Broom's Drive-Thru after the games and car hopping! Giving Johnny Fox (WCOS)song requests from the 5 girls in the Red T-Bird to the 6 guys in the Navy Blue Dodge Charger! LOL! I remember it well! Teens today have no clue what great clean fun we had, they missed that era. Too bad, but so glad we didn't!
I left school 3 weeks before our graduation ceremony and moved to Beaufort, S.C. as the new wife of a Marine just 20 days after he returned from Viet Nam. I had't a clue what the effects of being married to a soldier with post-war syndrome would have on my life. The ones who served there came back shattered and the tragedy affected many more than we could count.
We divorced within 4 yrs. but I was blessed with 2 beautiful children from that union, a son now 45, not married yet, but he'd make a terrific catch for any girl: thoughtful, intelligent, grounded with a wonderful heart of gold. My daughter would have been 43 now. She was beautiful, young and full of life when I lost her 16 yrs. ago, just one month after her 27th birthday. If any of you reading this have ever lost a child, then you understand that there are no words that could adequately explain the void. We are not meant to bury our children and when you do, it changes your life forever. I am trusting God to care for her until I see her face again. I'm now raising her son, (...Expand for more
my grandson who will soon be 21) that I love more than air! His laughter fills my world and wears her smile. He is the gift, the legacy she left behind.
I am re-married - this time for 29 yrs. which proves we're both either extremely tolerant or too afraid of growing old alone! He is a rock, the exact opposite of me in so many ways, yet lending the perfect weight to balance my life. From his first marriage, he brought to our union a daughter who is now 38. She is precious to me and I love her as my own. She has a wonderful husband and they have given us a beautiful grandaughter whom I adore... and now a precious grandson. They are the joys in my life. So now, the grandchildren number 3 ! How blessed I am.
I have a big doberman (Roxie) who hogs my couch and bed. My backyard is a bird habitat and I spend my mornings on my patio with a cup of coffee watching the sun come up before I jump in traffic and make my way to work.
I work too hard, play too little and still dream about what I'd love to do if I only have the time. I still love nature & animals, long for things I think I've missed out on, treasure my memories and aspire to write someday. I lose myself in music and cherish my friends. Mostly, I keep a firm hold on my faith in God & trust that he will supply what I need in life to get me through. What about you?
IF I have a philosophy - its simply this: "Each day is a gift" . Each day has value, even hard days - as they build character". My mother, who by the way was an Italian war bride (another wonderful story) always said "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger". I now know this to be true.
In my life, I've tasted it all, victory and defeat, and I've grown.
I can cook like no tomorrow ~ (mostly Italian! ) and I sing quite well! ( well at least it sounds good with the shower running and soap in my ears! LOL. ) No... I lied - it doesn't even sound good then!
So, there you have it. A brief glance at the last 4+ decades. I didn't do anything noble, notable or newsworthy, but I can say I've had experience on the road less traveled and it was not an easy journey.
OK, enough about me. Would love to hear from fellow classmates and hear how you are. I hope life was kind to each of you and you find time to smell the roses. I leave you with this tiny pearl of wisdom: The problem with walking in someone else's footsteps, is that you leave none of your own... choose your own path. God bless!
Till we meet again... JoAnne
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