We Are Family…

Recently, I have joined an online group for people who graduated from my high school in the 1970’s. At first, I thought it would be fun to pop in from time to time and see who is doing what now. However, I am quite surprised at how much I am drawn to this group. Group membership fluctuates between 220 and 230 but it was only formed about a month or so ago. I have a feeling we’ll end up topping off at around 250 or so. That’s a nice size.
The group has gotten quite active and I think we are all amazed at how much we are drawn together even though some of us missed each other completely in the four years we were there. I think, though, that what is bringing us together is a sense of family and community. We all grew up in the same town, same part of town for that matter. We all knew the same teachers. Some of us knew older or younger siblings of the group members. Indeed, for someone like me who had siblings in the same school from the 1960’s to to late 70’s, lots of names and faces are familiar.
We’ve shared memories of each other, of teachers, classes, school events, and community events. Now we’re up to sharing about past vacations, our children, dreams, etc. The group really seems to be sharing a sense of family. We are all part of one big family that grew up, more or less, in the same area. We share a lot more than our high school. There are lots of memories and we seem to be able to share just about any and everything with the group.
That’s where I’m at. Where are you? Do you have a group of people that share a lot of the same experiences who, although not related, feel like a family?