My First Memory

Mark and I had dated for a long, long time - oh, about 3 weeks!!! It was Christmas time, and time to meet his family. His mother had invited me to come over for dinner, and I was going to meet his mom, dad, little sister Jana, and his older sister Jerri, who was home from college for the holiday. To say I was nervous is an understatement, but what 16 year old wouldn't be!



Mark came to my house and picked me up, and I made sure that he felt I was dressed appropriately, that my hair was okay, that I didn't have on too much makeup, or not enough, and that I knew what I could and couldn't say. I'm sure by the time we finally left my house to head to his, he probably wished that he'd just gone out with his friends instead and not planned to take me to meet his parents. But finally, after an extended preparation, we left for his house.



The drive was the shortest one I'd ever made. I don't know why I was so nervous, but I guess it was because I already knew in my heart that I was "in love", and I really wanted to make a good impression on my boyfriend's family. So he got out of the car, walked around and opened my door (which he still does to this day after 28 years of marriage!!!) and walked me to the front door. Mark's dad, a 6'5" giant of a man, opened the door as we got to the porch, and greeted me as if he'd known me forever. His mother ran to the door with a cup towel still in her hand and gave us a big hug and was so very gracious. Jerri introduced herself, and suddenly we were all quiet and just standing there looking at each other. Then suddenly, out of my peripheral vision from the right side, a flaming red-headed girl came flying through the dining room door like a ballerina gone wild with a very loud Ta-Dah, and bounded up to me with her curls still bouncing! Yep - it was Jana!! If I had had any fears up to this point, they all went away. We all laughed and giggled at Jana and her silliness to the point that my fears all vanished. She had broke the silence, and from that moment on, I knew that this was a family I could love.



Jana was my little sister from that moment, and still is to this day. I'd never had a little sister before, and she fit the bill completely. We had so much fun together over the years, and I protected her from her big brother, and protected him from her every chance I got.



The bouncy red-headed ballerina will always be a memory that I'll cherish. I see that little ballerina in Gigi's eyes everytime I look at her - and Darcy has her mom's smile. I'm thankful to have so many wonderful memories to share over time. What a special, wonderful thing!