Frankie and Slim

Frankie and Slim
Happy New Year

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

THE GATHERING

The question was, “When can you NOT come?” She was looking for a special party date and ask the intended attendees for this information. We provided our occupied dates which left her our free dates and narrowed it down to one day that we all would be available. The gathering was scheduled. There would be eight of us. All showed up.

It took place Friday. There was lots of hugging. There were lots of tears. There was a tremendous amount of raucous laughter. The delicious meal was hardly noticed for all the non-stop talking and remembering.

A little bank had been started in the 70's and we were the early crew. The founding President and his spouse had invited us to their home to talk about old times. It was a great feeling to recall when banking was fun, fair and honest. A time when loyalty had been a primary part of the hiring equation.
A time when trust had been a primary part of the bank and customer equation. A time before deregulation and “merger madness” when you would go to sleep working for one bank and wake up working for another.

The retired bank President, CEO and major shareholder of our little bank had called us together to say “thank you” for all we did to grow that little bank and his personal success.

We said “thank you” to them for bringing us together to remember a time when our career choices counted for something good and lasting friendships were formed.

Have any of you attended company reunions after retirement and were they good or bad experiences? If you haven't retired yet, do you believe you would ever attend such a reunion? Have you formed any genuine friendships among coworkers or only passing acquaintances?

28 comments:


  1. you make it sound so wonderful and makes me sorry I missed out on such a homey feeling experience..

    I have always been self employed and crews on construction sites dont usually bond with the Boss or heck, with anyone else for that matter.

    I am so happy you have those folks in your life and close by enough to Gather.

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  2. I have wonderful memories of people I worked with over the years, and a few close and very dear friends from those years. I went to such a reunion this past summer and it was great to catch up.

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  3. I've generally avoided reunions from the group I worked with for many years - just very little close friendships there.

    But two friends who have been together for 20 years got married in October and I went to the wedding and reception. One of them worked for the group I managed, so it was like a reunion of sorts. I felt like a mother hen, when so many of the people I supervised wanted to sit with me. :)

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  4. while I am invited to Christmas parties, there is a portion of aloofness that occurs, mostly because just my being there challenges the "non'work" ethic that now prevails. I still go, just to stir the pot, but all the other old times are gone.

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  5. What a wonderful experience. I am so very happy for you.
    I have largely lost touch with almost all of the people I worked with - but a couple are still very, very dear to me.

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  6. You are lucky not to have hated your work experience. I always can't stand my job, n can't wait to be able to quit! Every, single, job!

    I want to stay home n play with art stuff!

    Never a re-union.

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  7. I also worked for a great bank with some really special people. If a reunion were called, I'd make the trip to Florida. Those were a great 10 years.
    So glad you got to enjoy yours.

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  8. Never been to work-related reunion as most of my jobs have been in the grunt retail industry.

    I have made some lasting friendships with former co-workers from all my state jobs thought.

    Father Nature's Corner

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  9. We went to one put on by G's secretary. None after that. For a while it was a good company to work for, and G had hoped to retire from it.

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  10. Anonymous5:31 AM

    I'm not a reunion type of person Annie or a company Christmas party one either. I'd always make up some excuse (real or imaginary!

    I do enjoy the friendship of other volunteers but not for social gatherings - yes I know real party pooper aren't I lol

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  11. That sounds very sweet! I have made some good friends *through* work, mainly.

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  12. That sounds like such a great gathering of like-minded, amazing people, Annie.

    Yes, I have really good friends who I met through work...one of them I met when I was only 21 and we are best friends to this day. It's no wonder that some of our great friends come from places we work when we spend so much time with them!

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  13. That's lovely! I've never had a work reunion, however the work friendships I have now are certainly strong enough to justify one in the future.

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  14. How special. The girls from my high school class meet rather regularly for lunch, and it is always a special time. Often we meet when someone has come to town who hasn't been there for a while, and that is always fun, catching up.

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  15. SONNY G. they do represent the end of an era for me. After that work experience, banking only became horrible and no lasting friendships were made.

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  16. OLGA HEBERT, catching up and learning all about their families is wonderful.

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  17. LYNN, I don't have a single doubt that you would have been an excellent manager.

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  18. BRITE MIST, there were several more people who, had they been invited, would have ruined this nice gathering. Our hosts did a great job picking the right crew.

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  19. ELEPHANTS CHILD, it is amazing how we can link up with some coworkers for life.

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  20. ARKANSAS PATTI, was your experience in banking also before the deregulation and merger madness?

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  21. GB MILLER,years ago I attended another workplace reunion and it was so horrible I vowed never to attend another. Glad I did not keep that vow.

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  22. MAGE, was that strange for the secretary to put on the party?

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  23. SNAGGLE TOOTH, Oh we all know that about you and wish the same. Your misery breaks my heart.

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  24. CATHY, after this wonderful little bank sold, my career was misery. I hated having to attend holiday parties at my work much less return and share a holiday with them after I no longer worked there.

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  25. RIOT KITTY, and you have made some amazing discovery of stories among your coworkers. LOL

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  26. TALON, it is amazing. Then there are those people who become some of our worst enemies. There were times I wanted to take out ads in the paper to expose their dirty little secrets.

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  27. SPARKLING RED, that is good to have you say. I know you have had your struggles.

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  28. BEVERLY, I actually had a better time at this small work reunion that I did at my recent high school reunion. LOL

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