I Wish I Didn't Have to Miss This

This weekend is the 30th Anniversary of my parents Sunday school class, the Couples and Families Class, and I really wish I wasn't 3 states away. This class has been the foundation for the person I have become, and the people in it are like my family. Let me explain...

When my parents moved to Springfield they joined the First United Methodist Church. Soon after, they found a Sunday school class that seemed to fit their needs; it was called the Couples Class, later to be called the Couples and Families Class. The name is pretty self explanatory, but just to be thorough - the class was made up of young, mostly newly wed couples, just like my parents. Most of these couples had either very young children or no children, and everyone was similar in age. My parents joined the class and quickly became good friends with everyone. Then, because everyone was around the same age and life stage, they all started having children and creating families of their own. And so the community continued to grow. With the challenges of babies and new struggles in their lives, the members of this class grew closer, and the children were wrapped up in the love and support of not only their own parents, but also all the other parents and members of the class. Then, as time would reveal, many of these children became best friends (two even got married!), no doubt due to the similarities in their upbringing and the community of faith and love in which they were raised.

I honestly feel that I was raised by this entire class, and every member of the class feels like my extended family. The influences of these amazing men and women (most definitely including my parents) have shaped me into the person I am today, and I am so thankful to have had that influence from birth. The examples set in regards to compassion, service, love, friendship, fellowship, fun, and commitment (to spouses, families, and every endeavor), among other things, is something I hold truely invaluable. I honestly don't know how to put into words how blessed and thankful I am to have been raised in this family of friends. I only hope and pray I can find a similar group in which to raise my own kids.

And I really wasn't kidding when I said many of the children (we're known as the Next Generation) became best friends. My best friend and my brother's best friend also happen to be brother and sister, and their parents are some of my parents' best friends. Crazy right?! And not only that, but many other Next Generation kids are my close friends and people I still stay in touch with today, even though I have moved away.

Here are some pictures of our families (the Solomons and Yerglers) on vacation or during random occasions in life:

Kim and me on our first play date to Lake Shelbyville.

Kim and me in the gondola at Keystone Ski Resort in Colorado.

Kim, her dog Cocoa, and me on our way from the lake house in Texas to Colorado.

Both of our families on a hike in the San Juan Mountains in Colorado.

Kim and me jumping on the trampoline one Sunday after church (a weekly tradition).

David, Adam, Kim, and me in a tree in Redwood National Forest in California.

Kim and me one Sunday at church.

The four of us on a beach in Mexico. (Are you starting to see why I said completely blessed?!)

The four of us at my high school graduation party.

Kim and me on top of a double decker bus in NY. It was a mother-daughter weekend getaway.

Kim and me outside our church after the wedding of another Next Generation kid.

Moms and daughters during a little going away dinner for me. I was leaving for a summer job with the Appalachia Service Project.

At Kim's college graduation party.

Christmas 2009


The rest are just some pictures to give you an idea of what fun things the people in this class do, and the amazing childhood in which I was raised.

They travel together (pictured in FL)

They have theme dinner parties, Christmas dinner parties, progressive dinners, and random dinner parties (often at the last minute just because). Here are some of the ladies at a Kentucky Derby dinner party.

They ski together - in Colorado...

...and in Utah (and they often bring their children!)

They go on canoe/float trips in the summer time down the Merrimack River. Here Kim and I TP'd our brothers' tent.

And we go on mission trips together. At least half of the youth group was made up of Next Generation kids.


Other fun activities include potlucks at the park, summer softball leagues, 3-on-3 basketball tournaments (back in the day), Superbowl and New Years Eve parties, working the Lemonade Shake-Up stand at the art fair, volunteering with habitat for humanity and other service organizations, men's and women's weekend getaway outings, trivia night fundraisers, scavenger hunts, and countless other spontaneous and fun gatherings, dinners, parties, barbeques, outings, etc, etc...

I couldn't have asked for a better childhood or upbringing had I been given the chance. Mom and Dad, I don't know how I can ever express to you or thank you enough for surrounding me with this community and allowing them to be a part of my life. To everyone else, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for choosing to be such a huge part of my life. Y'all mean the world to me, and I LOVE YOU!!

Happy 30th Anniversary, and enjoy your time together!!!