I Want to Remember...

I begin this post inspired by a blog I read yesterday by Katrina Kenison, author of the book The Gift of an Ordinary Day.  In it, she wrote about the changing of summer into fall and all the things she wants to remember about summer.  You see, her children are grown and leaving her home.  There are so many wonderful times shared this summer and she doesn't want to see them fade into fall. 

So as I read, I began to think about all the things that I want to remember.  And I share them with you now.

I Want to Remember...

The sound of my mother singing the hymn In the Garden as she cooks dinner.

Playing wiffle ball in my childhood friend's front yard until dark.

Summers spent on Lake Jordan with the Davis family and my best friend, "little Amy."  And how sad I was when she moved away.

Sunday afternoons in my Mom's kitchen with my Uncle Charles sitting at my kitchen table (always with a glass of sweet tea in his hand).  The overwhelming pain when my mom called to say that the brain tumor had taken him home.

My childhood cat, Kitty, curled up on the back of the couch.

The drive to Tuscaloosa sprawled out in the backseat of my dad's car every other Friday night. 

Easter egg hunts at my grandmother's house and finding the Golden Egg filled with a $1 bill.

Shelling butter beans at my grandmother's kitchen table until my fingers turned green.

The way Bailey, my shitzu for 14 years, would greet me at the door.  And the look of reassurance he gave me as he took his last breath.

Helping my grandmother make butterscotch pies and the sound of her giggling as I struggled to stir the pot fast enough.

The way I felt when the infertility doctor said, "I think we need to start talking about adoption."  And then the indescribable emotion as I heard two babies crying for the first time in the delivery room.

The first time I held Macy, in the NICU at Women's and Children's Hospital, three weeks after she was born.

The look on that same little girl's face when I told her Daddy said we could have a puppy!

The sound of Matt singing "Nothing can separate me from Your love" in his room as he plays his Xbox.

The pride I felt when Matt told me he prayed and asked Jesus to live in his heart.  And the excited way he shared this news with Macy.

The joy in my dear friend's voice as she told me her Mama was cancer-free.

The joy in my own sister's voice when she was "cured" of cancer after five years of living cancer-free.

The way Macy and Harris look curled up on his bed while she reads to him.

The smile on Harris' face when he spotted me in carpool on that first day of school.

The first time I held my niece Ava, thinking that I couldn't love a baby more.

Holding my friend as she cried over a husband that decided he didn't want to be married anymore.  And then the sound of the same friend's joy as she realized God's greater plan for her and her little ones.

Bailey, a 1st grader at a local inner-city school, when she told me that she didn't have crayons at home to finish coloring her paper after school. 

K'Dorian, a classmate of Bailey's, whose tonsils were so infected she could hardly breathe. 

My grandfather, at age 91, whispering to me that he thought I was a terrific mother.

The first time I met Scott and the way I instantly had to know more about him.

How overwhelmed with happiness I felt when we walked hand-in-hand out of that church on our wedding day.

The complete surprise when I realized I was pregnant with a third child without any infertility treatments.  And the connection I felt with my doctor when he said "Miracles happen everyday. Our God is so good."

The way my grandfather squeezed my hand as I read the cards attached to flowers at my grandmother's funeral.

Christmas mornings with toys, candy, and love overflowing from my living room.

The story Matt and Macy's teachers told about them hugging on the playground their first day of school in separate classes.

Macy's face as she raced down the zipline at GA camp.

How nervous I was to sit in a college classroom at age 35.

Catching sand crabs at the beach.

Watching fireworks on the beach on the 4th of July with my kids.

The look on Macy's face as she spotted Cinderella's castle for the first time.

The accomplishment I felt when all three of my kids were potty-trained!

Singing in my grandmother's church during Vacation Bible School.

Riding the tractor with my grandfather.

Picking strawberries with my kids and thinking of my grandmother.

The very first "I wuv you" from each of my kids.

Every first step, first word, first day of school, first basehit, first dance recital, first soccer goal.

Painting Macy's nails and the smile on her face when they look "sparkly" enough.

How Matt and Macy "talked" to each other at age 15 months from across their cribs.  And how even now, they seem to be able to finish each other's sentences and thoughts.

Pulling that first tooth and realizing it meant my babies were growing up.

Realizing all of a sudden my mother wasn't so stupid after all.  And how I loved having her around.

That even grown up sisters can laugh and stick their tongues out at each other.

Hand-cranking the ice cream maker on my grandfather's back deck.

Going to the beach after high school graduation and trying to hold on to those friendships for one more summer. 

My children meeting  Lynn (my life-long best friend) and her family. 

The smell of cookies in my kitchen and three little ones gathered around the kitchen table.

That true friendship is when your friend calls to tell you that your boyfriend has a new girlfriend and you didn't know it.  And then bringing you dinner because he knew you couldn't face the world alone.

Standing in Bryant Denny as a freshman in college and yelling Roll Tide! And then standing in the same football stadium and realizing how fortunate I am to have parents that value education.

That sometimes God takes away to make room for more.



This list could go on and on.  There are so many people, events, and things in my life that I want to remember.  When I finally meet my Jesus face to face, these are the things I will thank Him for.  These (and so many more) are the blessings that have made me who I am. 

You can find Katrina's blog at www.katrinakenison.com/blog)