A Shark's Tooth

When I was in the third grade, my class at school took a field trip to Cumberland Island. For some reason, I have random memories of this trip that have stuck with me over the last 18 years. Like the giant banzai-looking trees that twisted and curled over each other because of the forceful island winds, or the ride we took on the ferry to get to the island, with the wild horses that we spotted right as we landed. The Cumberland Island tshirt that I spent nearly all of my money buying two of - so that my best friend Misty Ford and I could match; then sitting on the back of the bus with her on the way home singing, "99 bottles of coke on the wall" with 30 other 3rd graders (all the way down to 1)...then nearly not making it to the bathroom in time when the bus FINALLY stopped on the way home. I don't typically remember these types of childhood details, so the fact that these have stuck with me so vividly is warmingly strange.

On one particular shore on the island, it was rumored that you could find sharks' teeth mixed in among the rocks and sand, and I eventually found one. I decided that this would be the PERFECT gift for my younger brother. I could hardly wait to give it to him, and he didn't disappoint with his excitement about the really cool gift. I felt like the winning sister, and enjoyed the fact that I had brought him something so meaningful. Later that week, when we were playing with it on some bleachers at a softball game, I accidentally dropped it through the seats, and even after searching for it for the next hour, we never found it.

I was so devastated that I remember feeling sick to my stomach. This awesome, wonderful, most-appreciated gift that could never be replaced was lost. Even to this day, that memory is painfully poignant. It is my first memory of a moment in my life of disappointing someone without being able to do anything about it, and its one of those things that stings a little, even to this day.

Brother of mine, we've traveled a long road to get to where we are today - one where we've both had our share in disappointing the other and also our share in loving on and being there for each other. I'm thankful for the past 25 years of your life that I've gotten to experience, and thankful that God is unfolding His perfect plan for your life. I can't wait to see what blessings this next year brings (namely S!!), and I love the glimpses that I get of the man you are becoming. Happy (late) Birthday, I love you!