“Family Memories…”

 

Shared by Kristina Smedley

“Family Memories…”

As I listened to Breanne share her story of having an ‘accident’ while hiking, I was getting a little nervous about what I would find in my present.

What memory and embarrassing story I would be asked to recall and soon be sharing with the family.

It was this past Christmas Eve, and my parents surprised us with pre-Christmas presents.

As we opened our presents, one at a time, we found something that triggered childhood memories.

We each told our story. Some funny. Some embarrassing. 
But all building relationships. 
Getting to know more about one another’s childhoods, especially our brother and sister-in-laws.

I felt my presence. It seemed to be a book.
I shook it. No rattles. 
It’s definitely a book.

Sure enough. “The Perfect Mile.”
And a Hershey’s bar.

The memory rushed back in like.
Ooooh. 4th grade. The Hershey’s track meet.
When I was going to be a track star and travel the US.

I was a 4th grader in Packwood, WA.
A town at the base of Mount Rainier. With maybe 1000 people. 
A town where everyone knew each other. Some had lived in the valley for generations.
Some never left.

I had 18 kids in my class. In a school of about 150.
So, you can imagine the track program. 
Wait. Was there a track program? I don’t remember.

But I do remember learning about the Hershey’s track meet.
To be held in the thriving metropolis of Chehalis, WA, an hour or so away.

The town with Yard Birds, our favorite shopping destination.
Imagine Home Depot and flea market combined. That’s Yard Birds.

Winners were flow to Hershey, Pennsylvania, to compete in the finals! This was my chance. To win. To travel. To make it big.

I can’t recall now if I trained for this.
If I did, I can only imagine the training a 9-year-old would do.

I signed up for the 400-meter race.
It made sense. 
Only one time around the track versus the four times required by the Presidential Fitness testing each year.

I totally had this.

Packed into the van, the family made for our treck through the woods to this infamous track meet.

I remember being nervous before it started.
Watching. Waiting. Excited for my turn.

And then we were up. The 400-meter runners.
Sprinters, more like.

The gunshot and we were off.
And that’s where the running memory ends.

Next thing I know, I’m at the finish line, crying on the ground, sucking in air. I know it’s not possible that I held my breath the entire 400 meters, but I sure did my best.

As I was hyperventilating on the ground, I learned that I got 4th place.
Not qualified for the trip. A loser. “I hate running.”

The hyperventilating got worse. So much for my dreams of success and exploration.

And I still hate running… for the most part.
Unless it includes my friends, a medal, and a really good brunch afterwards!

But I do love this story, because it’s a fun family memory.
It’s a day that my parents and I both vividly recall, although with totally different memories.
Maybe my brothers remember it too. I wonder what they took away from it.

This Christmas activity represents so much of what my family stands for – relationships, inclusion, optimism, caring for one another.

We’re spending time together, building the relationships that matter most to me.

#IntegrallyRelational

Check out what we're up to now!