My memory box treasure

Today as I cleaned out beneath my bed in my old room I found a box of "cherished" things. Most of it was silly junk but then I crossed this. It's a paper my brother wrote about me his (I believe this to be true) first year in college.

"I have known my sister, well, for all her life. When I was four years old, Keeley Janae Stelzer entered my world. I had always wanted a sibling but she might have been a little too much to handle. She had a set of lungs that could produce those bloodcurdling screams only heard in horror movies when someone was about to be dismembered. Her cries annoyed me so much that I often tried to silence her, which in turn, only made her scream louder than before. I had these great plans to gag her with a sock, but my mother always had a way of knowing when trouble was brewing, and she proceeded to spank me and send me to my room.

Growing up with my sister was an unforgettable experience. My sister and I fought constantly over stupid things like who got to sit where at the dinner table or who got to watch their favorite television show. A few years ago she was in the kitchen doing dishes while I was minding my own business when I 'accidentally' splashed water on her. She got one of those looks on her face that seemed to say, "Do that again and you will be eating through a straw," as she proceeded to threaten me with a spoon! Even though the expression on her face was dead serious, like that of a vicious Rottweiler preparing to attack, it only scared me as much as a Chihuahua's bark. She held the spoon high like Excalibur, preparing to strike me down. I scoffed, "A spoon, ha! Maybe if you threatened to stab me with a spork I would be scared," which caused my sister to look up at the spoon with dismay and embarrassment. As we realized the humor of the situation, we both burst into laughter.

My sister and I fought so much it was hard to keep track; yet a day finally came when the fighting ended for good. She was riding around on her "high horse" that day and I guess I was too. What the fight was over is not important--how it ended is. Our fighting became so elevated that I practically threw her through a wall. The whole house rumbled with the impact of her body, and created a sound like a violent thunderclap. Because our parents were used to the fighting, no one came rushing to see what happened. As she got up off the floor uninjured, we both looked at the wall and saw a hole about the size of a grapefruit. When my parents found out what happened, they very calmly grounded us both for a month. I was sixteen then; we haven't fought since.

Ever since the day the fighting stopped, my sister and I began to develop this strong bond. Since we were grounded and not able to hangout with our friends, we got to know each other better during out time together. I started to see talents and abilities that I never noticed before, such as her amazing ice skating ability. I would sometimes go to the ice rink and just watch her skate. She was very graceful, gliding on the ice as if her skates made brushstrokes on the icy canvas. She also love to sing and play guitar. She is not that great but I still enjoy listening. We enjoyed playing video games together. I always won, but she played them with me anyways. We developed the ability to talk to each other about anything. Sometimes at night she would come into my room and we would just share our thoughts about the problems of the day. She would tell me about the boys she liked and the songs she was writing. I listened intently because I knew that I would be leaving soon.

College came too quickly. I was ready, but I knew I would have to leave my friends, my family, and my sister behind. I did not want to lost this great relationship I was developing. There was still so much I did not know about my sister, and unfortunately just as I finally began to understand her I had to leave. Maybe I should have tried to throw her through a wall sooner. Maybe I could have learned a little more."

Marriage advice

It seems to me that the people around me view my engagement as a reason for them to give me tidbits of information on life, love, money, and marriage. I have to say that unfortunately I am frequently warned about what I am "getting myself into". I'd probably have a lot of fear with that if it weren't for the simple fact that Daka constantly reminds me of truth. We openly acknowledge that marriage will not be all love notes and roses. One sinful person added to another sinful person does not equal perfection by any means. However, I am just over flowing with excitement for our pending nuptials. Tonight we discussed how marriage is a reflection to those around us of the relationship between Christ and his bride, the church. Then Daka brought up a point that we, as the people inside the relationship looking outward, should have an even better understanding of that relationship.Our love for each other is a small reflection of Jesus' love for us. We will be called to make sacrifices for the other person. Asked to put away our pride(even when we are right and could be proud) for the sake of our love. It's so easy for me to forget the gravity of what Christ did for me on the cross. I am counting my blessings tonight as I reflect on his love for me. Daka can never fill my heart in the same way that Jesus does, but he is my reminder of a greater and more true love. So I say,to you who feel called to warn me away from the commitment of marriage, that I recognize the trials that will come but I will not fear them because I am made new. As a follower of Jesus with the holy living Spirit living with in me I relish the opportunity to show God's love to my soon to be husband. I hope that through our relationship I become better equipped to love those whom I would not normally make a choice to love. I alone can not cause my marriage to be a good one, no matter how hard I purpose that in my heart, it is only through Christ who gives me strength.