To the Silver Falls Family YMCA Pool,
I miss you. 8 months. It’s been 8 months. You are about to start your best season of the year and I’m about to move to my fourth continent in a year.
The impact you have had on me is far greater than I ever imagined it would. I guess when you spend nearly every waking hour for years at a place, it’s kind of expected to have impacted you at least a little bit.
You gave me a heart for the water. You are where it all started. You are where I learned how to swim in the first place. You are where I learned how to be on a team. You were my first job. You were the place that made me not want kids but then want kids all at the same time. You were the place that taught me so much of what I know.
You taught me to be a leader…often I sit here and reflect back onto so many things I would have done differently. Situations I would have handled differently. That motivates me even more to be a better leader though.
You taught me to treat everyone with respect and equality, to see others where they are at and accept them there.
You taught me that a lot of very different people usually make the best family.
You were there for me during so many seasons of my life.
You were there when I was in high school trying to figure out where my place in the world was. You were there when I needed to escape from the drama of school or the troubles with friends. You were there when I was trying to figure my life out after YWAM.
You were there when I was in one of the hardest seasons of my life because I couldn’t see the point of what I was doing.
You were there when I was at an all time high..I mean who wouldn’t be when they didn’t have to wear shoes or even pants to work all the time? I straight up lived in my swimsuit.
You were there for me when I needed friends and you gave me family.
I left you 8 months ago not realizing that this would be the first summer in 11 years that I wouldn’t be spending all of my days on your pool deck.
To a lot of people your just a place to cool off, a place to get away from the heat of life.
To me though, you were a way of life. You were my community. You were my family. You were my home.
Somedays I can’t think of why I ever left you.
Other days, I remember that you merely trained me for this part of my life and I can’t even begin to say how thankful I am for that.
Without you, I would never have been bold enough to leave everything I have ever known to explore this big wide world that isn’t actually that scary after all.
You are one of a kind and I couldn’t have asked for a better place to have grown up.
Love,
Brandi
