Who am I? A wife for almost 40 years. A mom for over 36 years. A sister and a friend, of course. Each of these help describe me. But, even more, I have been a Christian since accepting Him as my Savior when I was 12 years old and, this truth defines each area of my life. I have enjoyed some mountain top experiences but have been through some very deep valleys as well. Valleys of incredible grief and even pits of depression. However, most of my days are ordinary, routine kind of days. But in every one of my days, God has been faithful. He has walked with me whatever the day. He strengthens, comforts, encourages and blesses me with life "most abundant."

A favorite life verse: The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. John 10:10

Why do I write? Though not quite as private as my dad, I am definitely my father's daughter. I find it difficult to share. And to let others in. But I do love to write. I love to put words into sentences and sentences in paragraphs that help express my thoughts. I hope my words help me share my heart. Share the life that God has given me and all that He has done for me and through me. I write with the hope of giving Him at least a bit of the glory He is due.

A verse to guide my writing: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. I Peter 1:7

My Earliest Memory

Posted on By jennifer

Happy Thursday, friends.  Here, we are officially into spring and spring seems to have gone into hiding.  I keep hearing stories of those who had snow to welcome the new season…..and I am both incredulous (our weather has been a bit all over the place but, thankfully, nowhere near snow weather!) and a bit sad for those folks.  But, perhaps they love it!  I know many do and, even if you don’t, well home is home:)  Thanks so much to everyone who visited and left comments on Monday’s post – especially with regards to my hair.  It is a work in progress and I noted all the good advice.  My blog friend, Dianna, mentioned how different a curly haired me would look from the photo here on the sidebar.  I have to admit, sometimes I wonder where that girl went as well!?  Is it possible one day she will return?:)

Yesterday one of my dearest friends had a birthday.  Happy birthday, Mo!  She is also my longest friend..if I’m saying that correctly.  We have been friends for…well, almost a lifetime.  We met when my family moved in nextdoor to her house.  When I was four!!  Yes, about a lifetime ago!  We still live in the same state but about four hours from each other.  Distance, as well as life, sometimes keeps us apart but we have remained good friends.  I took a bit of trip down memory lane yesterday and I have to admit, memory lane seems to get fuzzier and fuzzier these days.  The pictures (in my mind) are still there but are a bit distorted.  Something like the pictures coming out of the palace:)  But I can say my earliest memories are from about age four.  Maybe five.

Mind you, I don’t have an entire mental photo album from that age but there are some very distinct mental pictures from those days.  One, in particular, is from the day we moved into our new home.  It was in April and a very spring day.  I can remember the honey colored hardwood floors and all the sun flooding into the room that was going to be my very own bedroom.  It had windows on two sides and was sundrenched.  In the middle of moving, my parents apprently took a break and we had a very simple lunch (I truly remember peanut butter and jelly sandwiches!) on the floor of my new room.  I have no idea why this day, this lunch, this time is so vivid and memorable, but it certainly is.

There are a few other memories from that year.  My fourth year of life.  And I have few from age five but, honestly, not that many.  I do distinctly remember the morning my brother (he was around three) knocked the car out of gear and our big ole behemoth of a vehicle (with just he and I in it) rolled down the driveaway, across the cul-de-sac and into the neighbor’s mailbox.  No one was hurt but it was, well, a lasting memory for everyone!!  My mind apparently kicks in around first grade or age six.  I have the most early memories from around that age.

I’m curious.  From what age do you have your earliest memory?  Someone once told me they could remember something when they were two.  I find that hard to believe but who am I to argue?  And who is your “longest” friend?  I find myself wanting to say “your oldest friend” but that puts a completely different spin on such a special friend and friendship – lol!!  She is older than me, by the way.  By 36 days!!:)  As dear as she is, I don’t think she reads my blog (huh!?) but I do hope Maureen had a beautiful day.  She is a beautiful friend and the best of the best!!

Just for kicks and giggles, here is a picture of me (the one with the attitude on her face – who knows??) and my two besties!  Maureen has the light hair:)

Memory Lane

Comments (7)

  1. Nice Royals reference! And speaking of the Royals, you look a bit redolent of Princess Di in the picture of you with your ´tude, lol. I *think* that I have a memory of my third birthday celebration (not a party, just family members) but I could just be remembering the stories that I heard about it. For me, kindergarten forward is where the vast majority of my memories lie (lay?), though. I have lost contact with my childhood friends, sadly.. It´s so neat that you and Mo have been friends for so long!

    1. I truly am grateful for several friendships from my childhood!! And, yes, sometimes I wonder if memories are actually in my mind or just rehearsing what I have heard. Either way, I enjoy them:)

  2. I do have a few memories from the age of 2, believe it or not. They are more like scenes from my life at that age.
    My “longest” friend is my high school best friend, whom I met our junior year in business class. We instantly hit it off and became inseparable for many years until I moved and got married. We are still friends today and though we don’t talk on a regular basis, we do call every now and then and keep up on social media. That’s 41 years of friendship. Not too bad! 🙂

    1. 41 years definitely is not bad…a great blessing, actually!! There is something special about those friendships that have endured the test of time!! Memories of age 2 – wow!! That is cool:)

  3. Wen I was 2 a tornado came up our street on Austin Avenue in Waco Texas. The year was 1953. It’s still talked about in these parts. I remember mom throwing us three children in the upstairs bathtub then piling a twin bed mattress on top of us…I remember the winds and crying. What seemed a lifetime, mom pulled the mattress off of us and carried us downstairs. The street had been ravished but our house was virtually, untouched. Downtown Waco was gone…

    When I was 4…Daddy was nailing something together out in the back yard, and I figured I could help so…kneeling down beside him I tried holding onto the board he was hammering on…When I tried to get back up, I couldn’t! I told daddy to help me and when he saw the problem he jumped into action…I had kneeled down on a long nail that went through my knee. I never felt a thing! I did when he pulled it out though…lol… He was a Chiropractor and knew how to treat it.
    I have another story at age 5 but you wouldn’t believe me…lol
    Happy weekend!
    Donna

  4. Jennifer, I love coming here because of your sense of humor. I wish we were next door neighbors! We could have a blast!

    Thank you for the mention, by the way. We had our grandson here a few days last week, so I am just getting around to catching up on my blog reading.

    One of your early childhood memories is very close to one of mine…only my brothers weren’t in the car with me at the time…in fact, they weren’t even born yet. My parents and I were getting ready to go somewhere. You know the drill…get the child ready first and then yourself. I was getting bored (around age 4 or 5 and asked if I could just go ahead out to the car and sit in the backseat. My dad said I could, but , “don’t touch anything!” HA! You know how intriguing that is to a 4 or 5 year old. It HAD to be done. The “thing” that I touched was the gear shift and I drifted right into the garage. 🙂 Yeah…well, as you might guess, I wasn’t allowed to go to the car by myself any more.

    1. AH – the days before strapping everyone into car seats, etc!!:) So glad you stopped by, Dianna and thanks for sharing your memory. I do think we would make lovely neighbors!!

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