My past created my present

Back in 1952 I was the girl with bows tied on her pigtails. First row, second from the left. Ann Condon was far left. Janet Fallon was next to me. On the other side was Roberta Jennings. Then Eileen Scully and Karen DeCross. St. Agatha School was a simple parochial institution, taught by nuns and filled with quiet children who all wondered what their friends were thinking about life and their possible futures. 

It was a past worth remembering, being with those old friends. I had no idea I would become the publisher of a weekly newspaper in my hometown. I had no idea that was even an option.

All those other young girls in the front row have new last names and they are all still alive. I think we were in first grade because the uniforms are not in the photo. 

I felt very much like an observer back then. Quiet but watchful. The days of long silences were the perfect background to a life as a journalist. Paying attention was all it took. My past created my present. I am grateful to the nuns who insisted the class be orderly.

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