My Sister Writes…

“I knew that when I came to visit my sister in Alaska I would have fun. I just didn’t know how much.

Our time has been jam-packed with moments that have become precious, unforgettable memories, and I am so grateful for this opportunity to see where Andy and Tabitha live and share in their lives for a few weeks.

From working on house-improving projects like making flowerbeds and epoxy-ing shells into the bathroom sink counter to making yummy food like moose roast, funnel cakes, and pies, we are just plain having a blast.

Gabe and Jasmine are both so big (I hadn’t seen Jasmine since she was a few weeks old), and Oscar is the sweetest, fattest baby.

I have read The Tale of Peter Rabbit so many times I about have it memorized, and we’ve washed many dishes, imbibed in iced coffee at times, and played a couple hilarious games of Pilgrim’s Progress, a board game I brought along that we used to play all the time as children.

And now that we’ve ensured Andy did not emerge victorious at Settlers more than once, we can go home in peace.

We’ve entertained happy children, when Gabe is fishing with a toy rooster tied to his fishing pole, and endured not-so-happy children, when we’re trying to rock Oscar to sleep or teach Jasmine to say please.

There have been many instances in the last couple weeks when it seems God wants to teach me patience, like when children are screaming, or their dog, Sunny, is digging up the flower seeds and bulbs I just planted.

It’s also been fun to sing together and play our instruments again – all those fun fiddle tunes that I only ever played with Tabitha. Neither of us play as much anymore, which is truly a shame. So we savor these moments while we can.

The scenery in Alaska is so majestic – snow-covered mountains rising from the sea on the coast as well as dominating the landscape farther inland.

There are only a few main roads, with multiple gravel roads branching off. I can understand why Alaska is called the Last Frontier. It leaves you with a sweeping sense of awe, inspiring your soul and shrinking your own high opinion of yourself.

The one thing I didn’t enjoy was the abundance of light. It was so difficult to feel well-rested when going to sleep and waking up in so much light. I need it to be dark at night time.

We’ve been down to the…ahem, Whiskey Gulch beach several times. I love the sound of the waves lapping at the shore as the tide goes out, and we had so much fun finding shells, unique pebbles, and sea glass in the sand. Once we even brought some green kelp home and fried up pieces in butter. Fairly tasty.

We’ve enjoyed going to church with Tabitha and Andy and meeting their church family, and it’s going to be hard to leave this beautiful place when we head home on Friday.

Well, it won’t be too hard to leave the cold behind. Just the people we care about. When they are following God and you love each other, there is nothing better than family.”

Bethany Thompson