Memories of loved ones continue to breathe through
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BLOG:  Memories of Murphy High School Blog By Avis  •  Quotes By Avis  •  Poetry By Avis  •  Picture Gallery Blog Date:  June 10, 2010 Blog Time:  10:15 AM Mood:  Reflective Music:  Let The Music Play by Shannon Greene

It's time for me to take a trip, and go down Memory Lane.  I am a proud graduate, Class of 1984, Murphy High School, Mobile, AL.  This mental journey started last night when I was chatting with someone on Facebook.  He began to mention names that I had long forgotten.  I woke up this morning, opened my blinds, and waited for my morning bird to sing.  This little bird resides in a tree outside my window.  Most mornings it chirps so loudly, but I enjoy it.  While gazing out my window at the mountains, I reflected on my Freshman Orientation.  Back then I wore thick glasses, and I had two left feet.  For example, I fell down the stairs during my orientation.  I should have jumped up fast, but I was laughing and crying so hard that I couldn't even get up.  That was the beginning, and overall high school just wasn't that great for me.  I decided to dig out my high school Year Book.  I found it in a buried in box wrapped in my navy-blue Class of 84 Panthers T-shirt with the names of the graduates printed on it.  I'm wearing it in the recent photo above.  I took a deep breath and opened my Year Book.  As I turned the faded pages of Vol. 58, my eyes started tearing up. I was looking once again at all the fun that everyone was having...everyone but me.  I wanted to do so many things during high school, i.e., dance with the Prichard City Breakers, join a local volleyball team, be a cheerleader, run track, join clubs, hang out with friends, attend school dances, and go to my Senior Prom.  By my Senior year, I was wearing contact lenses, and I thought I looked kind of cute, smile!  Well, having strict parents and being in a strict religion kept me from doing many things that I wanted to do.  While others were loving high school and making fun memories, I was on the sidelines watching them.  I spent most of my time going to the Mobile Public Library, studying, writing, attending the Kingdom Hall, or sitting on my front porch behind the fence at 1156 Elmira Street.  Lucky for me, I have a daughter, and she is in college now.  I was able to live through her as she did everything during her high school days that I was not allowed to do.  I made sure she did all the fun activities that she wanted to do, and she took me along for the ride.  I tried to attend her Senior Prom as a chaperon, but she wouldn't have it.  I am glad that I looked through my Year Book this morning.  I have a few names that I will search online to see if I can find them. 

While digging through my box, I found my high school Memory Book.  I hadn't looked through it in many years.  At Senior Breakfast, I received a ribbon for “Girl With The Prettiest Hair”…They could have done better than that, smile!  My old Memory Book includes autographs/inserts from classmates, friendship cards, honor roll ribbons, hall passes, old pictures, report cards, etc.  My favorite color is yellow.  In most of the pictures, I was wearing yellow.  My favorite song back then was “Let The Music Play” by Shannon Greene.  I laughed as I looked at one of my report cards.  I had three A's and two B's.  I was such a Nerd, and I am still one today.  I love reading and writing poetry, but I kept it a secret back then.  Poetry was an outlet for me to write about things I wished I could do and places I wanted to go.  I allowed one person in high school to read my poetry, and his name was Terrence Finley.  It was hard seeing one of the ribbons in my Memory Book that states, “VOTE FOR TERRENCE FINLEY” for Senior Class President.”  He was a good friend...RIP Terrence! 

I had dedicated a page to my future in New York, smile!  For whatever reason, 10 years after graduation, I thought I’d be living in New York.  I have no desire to live in New York now, but maybe I will someday.  I have lived in Alabama, Arizona, and Ohio.  I am happy living in California now, but at some point I will go home to Mobile, AL.  I will walk down Elmira Street, I will go to the Mobile Public Library, I will walk the halls of Murphy High School, and I will sit on the stairs that I fell down during Freshman Orientation.

Thanks for reading, and take some time to reflect on your high school days! 
Big hugs, Avis Pope >>>

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