I usually do an I'm-Thankful-For list on Thanksgiving, but I did that not too long ago when I was having a bummer day, so I decided to take a different twist on this idea. I was thinking about sweet memories and decided to think hard and decide the four memories I'm most glad I have. This wasn't easy. I'm not sure about the order, either, but here they are.

Singing and Dancing and Books and Bed
When I was a little girl, I loved reading, and I had a whole set of books on record. Each story had a regular book with words and pictures and a little teeny record tucked away in a pocket on the last page. Each night before I went to sleep, we'd read one book together. At the end of each story, there was music. During this music, we would dance. Every night, at story's end, with Mom on the floor and me on the bed, we'd hold hands and jump and dance until the music ended. Then, to bed.

Cops and Robbers and Beach Food and Elevators
Some of my best years were in college at Cal U. I had amazing friends, a wonderful Christian community, and the best roommate ever. Brianne and I had a special connection that manifested itself early in our relationship. We spent almost every waking minute together--aside from 16 credit hours and an occasional trip to the bathroom, we were always together. We lived in the same room, we ate at the same table, we showered at the same time (although not together), we watched the same TV shows, we pined over the same boys. We shared everything. I don't miss getting stuck in the elevator, but it is part of the memory. We would sometimes tie our choir gowns around our necks, grab our walkie talkies and water guns, and play Cops and Robbers in the halls. But my favorite memory is the "crush jar." One day we each took a pen and, on little slips of paper, wrote things we'd like our crushes to do for us. Then every day, we each pulled one slip out of the jar and got to smile at the idea of them taking us shopping, bringing us flowers, kissing our noses, or buying us shoes. We still love you, Speedo Joe.

Cabins and Campfires and Volleyball Sheds
I can't come up with a specific memory from all my Camp Peniel years. There are just too many. But I can't leave it out just because I can't pick one--it's where I really, truly met Jesus, and it's where I figured out that I wanted to be involved in ministry, and it's where I met my best friend, and it's where I learned that I'll never be good at soccer. There are a million memories from those cabins and hills: getting shocked by my hair dryer; dressing like a Berlin-er, complete with blacked-out teeth; crying over boys; Ooga ceremonies; covering cabins in shaving cream; hiding mattresses in the dark; having communion without the electricity; and a thousand-million moments with Jill...

(You've read this one before, but it's still a favorite, so...)
Brothers and Crying and Sweet Morning Hugs
One morning as a teeny girl I woke up, climbed out of bed, and went to find Mom. I remember pattering down the hall and looking into each empty room, my anxiety heightening each time I didn't find her. When I'd checked everywhere Mom ought to be and I hadn't found her, I came to the very-scary-for-a-little-girl realization that I'd been left at home alone. Where was my mom? I sunk down against the wall beside my bedroom and I started to cry. I think I started softly, but it must have gotten louder, because the next thing I knew, my big brother Allan was holding me. "You're not all by yourself. I'm here," he said, as I cried into his shoulder. He held me, rocking, until I'd calmed down again. That's the picture I've always remembered of my sweet brother. It was nice growing up with older siblings who sheltered me and showered me with love. And even now that I'm grown, I still remember him holding me, and I know that he'll always be close when I'm feeling alone.

I'm thankful for you, my friends.

love,
shannon

Labels: family, friends, thankfulness