Souvenirs

I remember waking up in the middle of the night as a little girl, and being super scared. I'd run to my parents room with a pillow and a blanket, and sleep on the floor by their bed. It made me feel safe. I knew that if I was near them, I would be ok.

I remember going mountain biking with my family, riding my pink little barbie bike. I remember tumbling head over heels down a steep gravel hill and getting scraped up from head to toe. We took pictures and rode on.

I remember the stern look on my dad's face as he told me to climb. I looked down from 60 feet to my parents, both standing below. I didn't want to go higher, and yet I did at the same time. "Go up!" my parents yelled up to me. And so with their encouraging words, I drug my tired 9 year old body up the rest of the climb.

I remember standing under our metal carport in Texas, hearing the rain thunder down around me. The lightning was blinding, and the thunder almost deafening. I remember feeling alive.

I remember a Christmas a few years ago when it seemed like my entire world was crashing. I remember sitting with my dad by the tree, finally breaking down. He held me for over an hour as I cried.

I remember the day I first heard God telling me to do something. I remember the phone call. And the pain and tears for months afterwards.

I remember late nights after I would come home for the weekend from school. My mom and I would lay in bed and talk for hours, finally catching up on everything we had missed.

I remember the jamming sessions. Him and I and our guitars, rocking out together.

I remember. And I will keep these memories as my souvenirs.