I went back to West Point for a wedding, which I will write about at another time (but I should say "Congratulations" at the very least to Marjana and John Bidwell).

West Point is beautiful...it always has been and if you read my letters home as a New Cadet, even then I knew that while I may be sweaty, tired, hungry and a little scared, the place itself was remarkable in its beauty. I went today with Caroline Gunther, an old friend from High School. We haven't seen one another in over a decade, but she went with me to the wedding and I gave her a walking tour. It was nice to finally share WP with someone again.

West Point always elicits so many conflicting emotions. Hanging out with cadets and seeing how much potential they have, how many experiences await them and how much they WILL do is a little like holding a baby--just in this case, the babies are adults. (Hmm...bad analogy). At the same time, seeing the Cadets having the experiences you had makes it hard not to feel nostalgic.

More than nostalgia, however, is the realization that while there are so many friends you miss and can't wait to see again, we each have friends that we miss and will never see again. It makes it hard to see the Cadets, enjoying one another, and knowing that each of them will probably endure the same losses we have. I drove away remembering those friends we've lost and feeling so happy to have had the experiences I have had...because I am a better person for having known them, even if only for a short while.