By: Cheryl Smith
50 years ago, I was enjoying what many said were the best years of my life.
I was a senior at East Orange High School in New Jersey. I had friends–some I had known for at least a decade and others we came to know and appreciate over the years.
The year before my brother graduated from the same high school and at the graduation many were crying and I wondered, “What are they crying for?”
It should be the happiest day in their lives, or so I thought.
Little did I know what was waiting around the corner for all of us. Some of us would never see one another again. Many are not making it to 50 years.
Their season with me was over.
As we look at the class of 2026, I have to wonder if we have prepared them adequately to be successful in life. Sometimes elders are accused of not mentoring and then youth some argue, are not listening.
As we move forward and go our separate ways, we can’t help but think about those who are no longer around. What happened to their dreams and aspirations?
We need to break down barriers and find ways to ensure that our youth are more successful and that our elderly are not pushed out, and cast away, especially when they have so much to give,
Are you part of the group that builds or destroys?
Live each day to the fullest, instead of merely existing until you are no longer here.
