Recently, thanks to the help of Facebook, I've reconnected with some high school friends that I'd lost track of during my college days over 20 years ago. Even thought in some cases the names have changed and for an instant I had forgotten who they were, their faces gave them away. In every case it was always the smile that I remembered which helped me recover a flood of memories for which I am forever grateful. Fortunately they have some pictures on their sites which I thoroughly enjoyed. They speak of a lifetime of love and laughter, joy and giving, all captured in a moment. So many questions I want to ask them. As you can imagine, some of the faces have changed over the years just as I'm sure mine has, but if you look closely the same bright spark is still there. When we were in high school we all had such dreams, confidence, and passion. I don't really know for sure how much of those dreams, confidence and passion have been shaken with time and disappointment, but without knowing all the gory details and stories, I remember them just as they were 28 years ago without a blemish or care. I did a funeral for a wonderfully funny lady last year at the age of 84. [By the way some day I'll share with you her story of waking up one morning and finding an elephant in her front yard. No Kidding] But I will mostly remember something she told me once, "What people don't understand about me," she said, "is that I'm really a 16 year old school girl stuck in a 84 year old body." She still had the same passions, the same sparkle, and the same silliness she did when she was in high school and she lived every day that way. Actually she was inviting me to remember my high school days, which were anything but memorable, and live with the same enthusiasm, exitement and energy of my youth. "Forget your youth," she said "and death won't be far behind." Over the last couples of years I've come to realize there is something far more painful than physical death. Death of a dream and a reason for living. It is my prayer for all my friends that you never lose that sparkle or that confidence of our youth.