Twenty years later, my wife and I were heading across another parking lot &8212; this time headed back into the past.

It was my 20-year high school reunion and I have to admit that the walk from my car two-weeks ago was more uncertain than the one to my car 20 years ago.

A lot happens to your friends and classmates in 20 years. As we crossed the gravel drive toward the front door, those inevitable questions began popping up in my head. How have my classmates changed? How have I changed?

But there it was even before we got to the front door.

&8220;

Ben Hillyer

. How you doing man?&8221; the voice said as we crossed the parking lot.

With the same big smile and slightly high pitched voice, Drew Fuller came walking up to greet us.

For a split second it was as if 20 years had suddenly disappeared.

With the exception of a few extra pounds and some extra facial hair, things suddenly felt like those days in 1986.

But as Drew walked around his car, it was quickly apparent that much has changed.

One of the star football players for the Pickens Academy Pirates, was now walking with the help of an artificial leg.

How he lost his leg, I didn&8217;t ask. In fact, Drew seemed so comfortable with himself that it was as if the leg was always a part of him.

As we approached the lodge, Drew said to my wife, &8220;You know I recognized him from his eyes.&8221;

With that he went on to say that despite everyone&8217;s physical changes, one thing remained the same &8212; their eyes. He swore that he could tell who everyone was just by looking at their eyes.

It was a comment that would stick with me the whole night as I introduced my wife to old classmates and teachers.

When we walked into the lodge, a few friends were huddled around the table filled with high school yearbooks.

Flipping through the pages of my senior year, I kept looking at the faces of those 17- and 18-year-olds.

In those innocent eyes, you could see a bright optimistic future filled with hope and promise. It was clear that those 35 seniors could not foresee the hardships that the next 20 years would present.

That night, we laughed and reminisced about those long ago high school days.

With children weaving in and around the crowd, we caught up on the many happy things that have happened since we saw each other last &8212; marriages, children, careers.

And we talked about some of the adversities as well.

We heard stories from a classmate who just finished drug rehabilitation. One classmate described his flight from his home in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina.

Another classmate introduced her new husband, who she married after working through her first husband&8217;s death.

It became clear that much has changed in those years since we marched together with diplomas firmly grasped in our hands. And then again much has remained the same.

Toward the end of the evening, all of the classmates were corralled for another class photo.

As we were waiting for everyone to get in position, I looked around at the faces of my old high school classmates. Despite the graying hair and faint wrinkles, it was a little like those faces staring back from that 1986 year book. In spite of the hardships, you could still see a bright optimistic future filled with hope and promise.

I soon began to realize that maybe Drew was correct &8212; that it is in the eyes that I could recognize my classmates.

Ben Hillyer

is the visual editor for The Natchez Democrat. He can be reached at 601-445-3552 or at

ben.hillyer@natchezdemocrat.com

.