Tag: memories

This is fifth post in a series of blog posts recording memories from my youth.  They are posted every Thursday, so you can look back through my archives to find the rest of them. 

1984 was a good year.  It was the one and only time I’ve ever been to DisneyWorld.  It is also when I was first given a camera of my own, which would fuel a lifelong passion and eventually become a profession for me.  Epcot had just been built and there were like, eight countries.  I loved Epcot, way more than Magic Kingdom. Perhaps that’s because my engineer dad was into all the futuristic techy stuff, and therefore so was I.  When I look back on my childhood I realize it’s no surprise I became an engineer, my dad exposed me to all kinds of geeky stuff and made it seem cool.

In third grade I changed schools once again…to Delaware County Christian School, where I would spend the rest of my primary and secondary academic career.  It became my home.  I would argue it is the best evangelical Christian prep school in the entire country.  Unfortunately my third grade teacher, Miss Sink, was not the greatest.  But I was ever the teacher’s pet and never had much problem with any of my teachers.  Contrary to my friends’ memories, I was not actually taller than Miss Sink, although I was close.  I towered over all my friends.  I made friends that year that I am proud to say are still my friends to this day.  Liz, Kate and Ab especially.  We all live far apart in four different states these days, but thanks to the wonder of Facebook we can stay very much in touch.

Third grade was also the year I learned about sex for the first time.  I very distinctly remember my mom explaining it to me, then going straight to the three people I shared a table with in class about it.  I said it sounded gross, but my three friends (Tab, David and Krista) seemed to already be well-versed in the Christian answers “Oh no, it’s natural for married people!”  It’s hilarious to look back on now.  And yes, I still keep up with those three people on Facebook too.  Having a small graduating class, most of whom were together through elementary, middle and high school, makes it easy to stay connected.  Also the bond of being raised together in the body of Christ is harder to break.  The DCCS community became…and still is in many ways…like my family.

So I may not have remembered much about first grade, but I sure do remember second grade.  The public elementary school closed down, despite my mom’s efforts, due to a population dip the year I was born. I’ve never read this for sure, but I think there may be a correlation between the population dip the year I was born and the year abortion was legalized.  Anywho, despite the fact that my dad was not a Christian, my mom convinced him that we should go to private Christian school.  I have no idea how, that was all God.  What guy in their right mind pays thousands of dollars a year to send his kid to a school where they teach something he doesn’t believe in?

So I started second grade at The Christian Academy.  It was also my first real experience with a racially diverse class.  My sister apparently came home from Kindergarten one day and asked if she could marry a black boy. 
My mom tells me that before second grade I was pretty quiet and reserved, but my beloved teacher, Miss Downey, brought me out of my shell.  She will always be my favorite teacher.  We sang Psalty praise songs to start our day.  (I LOVE to sing.) She was so completely uplifting.  She was the first one to share with me the idea that Jesus is a gift we need to receive and we should invite him into our hearts.  Which of course I did.  (An aside…this is so funny to me now, considering my Calvinist bent.)  She cast me as “the big fish” in the class play “Jonah and the Big Fish”.  I didn’t have to say anything, but I was SUPER tall.

Second grade was also the year I made my first best friend, Jolynn Suprum.  It’s also the year I became boy-crazy (early, I know!) and chased Chris Horne around the playground until he let me kiss him on the nose.

But the most important thing that happened in second grade, other than my salvation which may or may not have been secured that year, was my dad becoming a believer.  Unbeknownst to me, my dad started doing a scientific research inquiry into the claims of Christ.  My sister and I came home every day talking about miracles and Jesus and he decided he should take it seriously and logically examine this faith.  He read books.  He questioned my mom’s pastor, Pastor Nickles.  He became convinced it was the real deal, and began his own personal relationship with Jesus.  He suddenly started going to church with us.  The transformation in his life was staggering.  He wasn’t a bad guy before, but he became dedicated to Jesus, learning the Bible, and helping the church.  Looking back, it was a miracle…and it probably has something to do with why I subscribe to the doctrine of election…besides scripture.

He died suddenly of a heart attack when he was 49 and I was barely married.  His memorial service was a true testimony to faith, and I am so glad that I have total confidence that he is with my savior now and I will see him soon.