Reunion

Such a loaded-for-bear word. What woman doesn't tremble at the thought of reconnecting with the past? Fortunately, there a few brave souls in my college class who are willing to show up for our, ahem, umpteenth, reunion this weekend. We're a tad bit older, but who cares? We've so much more to share these days than class notes, campus gossip, and boy friend, or the lack thereof, reports. I truly believe women get better as they get older, and we certainly have in my class of overachievers.

Attending a women's college was not in my plans. However, my freshman year at the American University of Beirut was blown up, literally, by protests on campus, a fire that took out the Registrar's Office, wars, and political upheaval. Hollins College took me in, primarily, because my mom was an alum. I though I'd landed in hell when I hit Roanoke, and this is from a girl who hid under her dorm desk as the Israelis bombed the Beirut airport. I was getting out of Hollins, Virginia, as fast as I could.

Wrong. With a campus packed to the gills with a cool group of women, the college hummed with intellectual electricity. Combine the two - smart women and great educators - and you have the makings of remarkable lives. I'm not so sure mine has measured up, but I'm not complaining.

My liberal arts education has stood me in good stead. Thank you, Hollins. Can't wait to get back.