To All The Knights

I would like to thank all the young men who have lately made me feel so reassured, comfortable, cared for, and truly special. There are so many little things you all do that bless me.

Today, I sang a duet with a young man from my church. Not only was he very nice to me even as I screwed up during our first rehearsal, but all the guys seemed to be rooting for the two of us as we did something we'd never done before.
The younger brother of one of my friends, who has always had a soft spot for me, I think, went COMPLETELY out of his way all this morning to encourage me and tell me I was doing a great job. He made me feel that it was alright, that even if I messed up --- that wasn't the point.
I walked into the choir room after accomplishing the first service's duet fairly well (better than I thought I would do) and I was immediately greeted by a chorus of "Great job, Brenna!" "That was awesome" "Nice going", "you have a great voice" etc. from the group of guys standing just inside the door. All I could do was grin, say "Thank you," and try to escape before I blushed myself to death. (You also have to understand, no one talks to me at church, usually. The only youth who are at all friendly to me are the Freshman and Sophomore guys. Little odd, little awkward, but rather a nice contrast to the... females.)
As a result of all this lovely treatment, I wasn't nervous at all for Second Service, and I did exponentially better. I didn't even recognize my voice, it was soooo pretty. Oh, the things you can do when you're relaxed and confident, singing for the Lord, and supported by a clan of Brothers in Christ.

At Awana, ALL I'm treated with is Respect. Doors opened, books picked up, food served, I've had a chair pulled out for me once. It's so nice. It helps having my older brother there. A protective older brother is something every girl needs, in my opinion.

I cannot express what a blessing this is. It gives me such a lift, and makes me feel so... female.

I don't think I could end this post without speaking directly to my brothers... who don't actually read this blog, but in the spirit of "Second Chances"... that doesn't matter.

Doc, you're amazing. You listen and you laugh with me and you keep me company and you're so, so kind. You're 10 times more mature than anyone your age that I've met, and I'm proud to call you my Little Brother. Thanks for the intelligent conversations, inside jokes, and ridiculous line counts. Thank you for analyzing all my problems to pieces and theorizing outcomes to actions. =P Thanks for listening. You're Going Places, and I'm honored that you choose to spend some of the between time with me.

Jester... there are many things I could say to you. But I'll stick with the things that mean the most to me.
What I Know About You: You've consistantly been trustworthy, softhearted, with a strong countenance and quiet spirit. You don't hide the fact that you care about people, and that is so valuable. You're constantly entertaining. Thank you for the phone quizzes, the pointless emails, the endless supply of jokes. Thank you for the long casual conversations about whatever came up, the short and surprising "I'm-only-here-for-a-minute" chats, the only-halfway-lucid conversations when we were both on Vicodin, the faceless conversation in a pitch black hallway when I was so very, very lonely, and the crazy facial expressions made across rooms. You mean the world, big brother.

Thank you Lord, for creating women after men. Thank you for the opportunity to love, support, and walk beside these wonderful images of You. And thank you for the strong and soft hearted young men you've surrounded me with. They mean the world to me, and they constantly inspire me to strive towards Godly Womanhood.

Love Is Ever Flowing,

-=Brenna=-