Today a member of our family went off to college. Melisa Shell moved into our home on April 30, this Spring. At the time we were glad to have an extra room to spare and excited to get to know a college student who needed a place to crash for the summer. We thought it would be good to give as so many have given to us, it would be super fun because, we're fun, interesting people, right?, and that maybe we'd teach her a few life lessons along the way...ya, I know...What our super prideful selves didn't expect was all the things she'd actually teach US, that by the time she left, we'd be the ones who felt like we were given a really great gift, and yes, that we're not really that fun or interesting.

We took some cookies tonight to her new apartment to "welcome" her home and on the way back to our house we talked about all things we learned from her this summer. My son, of course, said he learned that walking around in your underwear making loud boy noises is not ok. A great life lesson that I'm glad our 8 yr old learned young. My sweet girl said she learned she should stop throwing fits and saying not nice things because Melisa might hear her. I think Ace and I could agree with this one. Marital spats and disagreements can get tricky when trying to live out the "a soft answer turns away wrath" example to the sweet not yet married college student down the hall. But there was one resounding word we all agreed on. One simple word that sums the whole experience up: Share.

"Melisa taught us to share!"

We learned to share the basic things, the things that couldn't be avoided. The kids shared their bathroom with her. We shared a fridge, the pantry, the washing machine, and the DVR. Quickly we were friends and shared recipes, hair tips, favorite blogs, and inside jokes. But most importantly, and before we even realized it, she became our family and we shared our lives. Our real, true, messy, wonderful lives. The awesome things and the terrible things. The things that made us laugh and the things that made us cry. Melisa reminded us of something that we needed reminded of. That the fullest way to live is to be in true communion with God and with each other. To be willing share the thoughts, feelings, and details...the "everything" in our lives. This is what she left us with. Our hearts are ever grateful for the experience we shared this summer. And we will miss her tons. Thanks, Melisa for all you taught us...we love you! 

*PS....she's also a super fantastic blogger who inspired me to finally put all my thoughts on paper. You should follow her if you don't already...pienthesky.blogspot.com