Remembering WWII // Fellowship

Hey y'all! Wow! What did I just say? Y'all? Really? Yep, really. That is what you get for staying three days down in Linden Tennessee–the pretty contagious way of speaking about the third person plural. Haha! Oh dear! Well, it was such a crazy whirlwind of hours of fellowship, meeting person after wonderful person, and singing–can't forget the singing part–that I am not sure we three will be able to do justice to this week's account of Remembering WWII. But many things must be said. Okay, no going back now... Let's begin with the time our family spent in fellowship with everyone who gathered for this momentous occasion.



One of the most exciting aspects of traveling down to Tennessee for Remembering WWII was the prospect of meeting a good handful of our blogger/blogging friends! Do you recognize these ladies? (Ladies to whom these gorgeous faces belong. I don't mean you! Haha!) From left to right, allow me to introduce: Gretel, Lily (from Mode de Lis) and Kathryn (from Kathryn Grace Photography)! I am still jumping up and down in hysteria and disbelief that we had the blessing bestowed on our three families to meet up at the great event! Ahhh!

Our time together was too short, however, each moment was filled in sweet camaraderie, laughter, and accounts of what our own lives are like on a daily basis. We remember sharing thoughts on sewing projects, what kind of funny pets we own; but it seemed like we were asked many, many questions regarding our singing! I am so sorry ladies if we bored you with our chatter, but you did ask, and to those who ask, you better believe you will receive! Especially when you have three sisters vying for the chance to talk! Haha!

These three ladies and Lily & Gretel's parents delighted us with their beautiful ensembles, which were of course, period correct for the occasion; but little did we know that they would outdo us on Sunday when they came walking in on the scene in their darling 50's dresses! Brigi thanks you though for making her feel so comfortable in her own Sunday's 50's garb. :) Thank you so much ladies for sharing your sweet selves with us! We couldn't have been more thrilled to get to know you and hug you in person! So special. :)

I cant remember if it was directly after or before we bumped into Kathryn, Gretel & Lily that we happened upon another blogger friend! We all were in such a buzz that day that your name escapes us dear, but would I be correct in calling you Hannah?

It was such a pleasure to meet this lovely gal, and to once again speak with a friend whom we have only known through the internet! Wow! It just blows my mind that the Lord allowed so many of these girls to come and meet us on the streets of Linden Tennessee! Glory be to Him!

Yay! Rebekah! One of the most beautiful families we met down there was the Dubois family. Rebekah is the middle sister of two others whose names are Valery and Judith (oldest to youngest). These three are blessed with a mother who diligently sewed them beautiful 1940's costumes by simply looking at a picture and copying it by eye! Can you believe that? It was a joy to be around these wonderful girls, and to watch them serve and help out wherever they were needed. I especially enjoyed my few moments of sitting next to young Judith Dubois while we listened to one of the speakers talk about why it was America became entangled in the War. What an amazing time.

Oh ho! I can't look at this picture of our wonderful Natasha Vernier without laughing! This is Natasha in a nutshell! Spunky, dangerously sarcastic, witty beyond words, and the most fun person I think I could ever know. Natasha, you are the best, girl!

For those of you who were not there, the scene is now our time of fellowship and rest on Sunday afternoon. We have all slept well–or not so well–and were trying to use up every ounce of expiring energy we had in making our time worth while. We spent every hour of Sunday sharing everything we could with our new beloved friends. Through it all I could see the Lord answering one of my greatest desires–to have deep rooted conversations with these sweet young ladies. I could not have asked for more, for the time the Lord allotted was filled with sweet unity of likeminded young ladies, laughter like I have not heard in a long time, and joy bubbling up out of each face I saw.

The fifth Psalm comes to mind when I think of the joy I felt, and truly this is the best way to describe it: "You have made me glad, more than in the season that their grain and wine increase." This is a gladness and joy that comes from girls who have not had such fellowship in many years. I feel like this is almost an answer to my questions I posted two COS's ago, when I spoke of my struggles to have good, wholesome conversations with the young ladies in our community. The answer is what a few of you wisely pointed out–the girls I am around do not have the confidence in the Lord that they ought to have. Without this confidence, we can become shy, distrustful, dissatisfied with ourselves (the way we are, or look), and ultimately this makes a young lady scared to share herself and open up.

Press pause. Take a look at those vintage cars!





We had a roaring good time in the 1940's(?) Buick/Gangster car, and Mr. Courter (the man behind Remembering WWII's vision) took just the three of us on a joy ride in their 1929 roadster–the first car above! Oh what a blast! Mom almost lost it when she saw us take off. ;)

Press play again. The gals we hung around in Tennessee have instilled in them a great sense of worth and value that only comes from the Lord. We could talk about anything and everything and it didn't matter who was better or worse. We are in this fight together and we knew it. We are the next generation to rise up and follow the Lord, and I am confident that we have the foundation on which to build for the coming generations.

The Lord blesses the righteous and faithful. He encompasses those who are struggling to know Him better and He reveals His character to us day by day. Look for it my sisters in Christ. Look hard and do not doubt your own worth. Yes, we must not be like the Pharisee, proud and haughty and too good for the lost, but we also must not be so week as to let the flip side of the coin of pride deter us from letting loose and enjoying each other's company for what they are worth! We are all different! We will never be exactly like the other person. Grasp that and be confident in your own talents! These young ladies are, and that is why they have such peace and joy. Do not let your peers tear you up because of what they can do, but have joy for them! This is what brings us together. Learn to love this, and you will gain the Kingdom of God and the saints therein.


Natasha, again, in a nutshell ;)


I will leave you with a silly shot, and the names of all the lovelies in this photo that I can remember–

Top from left to right: Valery Dubois, Jessica Courter, Rebekah Dubois, Rebekah & Esther Courter, Natasha Vernier, Brigid, Two lovely friends of our blogger friend Rachel Parker.
Bottom from left to right: Alyssa and Tirzah Wilson, Ellen Vernier, Charlotte & me, and Rachel Parker.

Are you excited to hear more about our time down in Linden?

Do you have a question on something I did or did not mention here?

What is you favorite picture?

Much love and happiness to you all!

Jessica

The eldest sister & singer

CREDITS // Author: Jessica Boyer; Photography: Various; All photos edited with VSCO Film Presets