Heartwarming: Friends recreate cherished grade school photo nearly 20 years later

Kevin Opos and his friends at 10 years old didn't know their group photo would become an online sensation.

Opos' friend Paul Germain posted the following images to Reddit, featuring him and five elementary school friends coming together to recreate the classic group photo from their childhood. The incredible photo project has shown how each person has changed over time, but still their friendship hasn't floundered.

"The 10 year old picture was always up on my dresser. When we used to get together there were always creative ideas flying around so someone must have mentioned, 'hey, lets do this same picture again.' Every time we just grabbed what was randomly in the refrigerator and positioned it on the table. We attempted to make the same expressions, too. My parents were always amazing hosts to my friends and I throughout the years," Opos told ABC.

The photo includes from left Matt Gruber, Joel Atia, Mykil Bachoian, Kevin Opos, Ben Danon, and Aviv Edelstein. The group has remained close since their grade school days. The first two photos were taken by Kevin's mother Shelley, showing the group at age 10 and 17. The third was taken by friend Paul Germain with the group at age 29.

"Kevin's house was a second home for all of us when we were growing up. The original picture that was taken when we were around 10 years old was framed in his house somewhere. When we were all together at a party at Kevin's house when we were 17, somehow we became fixated on the picture and making fun of each other, and realized that everyone in the picture was present, so we thought it would be funny to recreate it," Mykil Bachoian, second from left, told ABC.

The group says it hasn't been easy to keep in touch over the years, but their shared history, common interests, humor, and mutual respect keeps bringing them back together.

"When you're 18, going away to college, and have friends that have known you for almost 15 years, I think it's harder to throw that away than to keep in touch. It's not like we're on the phone with each other every week, but the love we all have for one another cannot be duplicated or fabricated with other friends," Aviv Edelstein, far right, told ABC.

The group says that they plan to recreate the image again, even into old age.

"I think we will definitely recreate the image at some point in the future. Although we should wait at least five years before we do the next one. That should give enough time for our weight, beards, and hair loss to fluctuate," Edelstein told ABC.

"(I think we'll look) older and more tired, longer beards, but still smiling through all our new wrinkles," Opos said. "I started a Facebook Page called Time Lapse Memories so others can share their time lapse photos with the Internet, too. The phenomenon of time travel seems to bring joy and possibility that taps into your imagination."