10 Comments

1. I remember this week.

   I remember my excitement in the car.

   I remember how beautiful the campus looked.

   I remember last year.

   I remember meeting Paige for the first time.

   I remember thinking how lucky we got.

   I remember meeting Rowen and Taryn.

   I remember meeting Bella and Sophie.

   I remember meeting Avery.

   I remember when everyone knew each other already from high school.

   I remember feeling uncomfortable at the basement parties.

   I remember Paige and I growing apart.

   I remember this summer.

   I remembered the good parts of last year.

   I remember being comfortable on my campus.

   I remember the freedom of 15,000 undergrad students.

   I remember the large campus and hills I walked up everyday.

   I remember the people who were like me.

   I remember having someone to get food with.

   I forget why I wanted to leave.

   I remember feeling like a different type of person than everyone here.

   I see all my old friends getting back together for this school year.

   I remember feeling like I made a mistake.

   I remember everything I had last year.

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2. I remember when I apologized to Cheyenne because I was so rude to her the previous year. I tried to take accountability. I felt terrible, and I would have hated myself if I hadn’t done it. She accepted my apology.

   I remember not understanding why.

   I remember asking Jess out. She knew I was going to because I told one of her friends I was going to.

   I remember watching Stranger Things with her. I couldn’t tell you what happened during the episode.

   I remember when I broke up with my ex. She threw up on the floor twice.

   I remember wanting to be a better person.

   I remember when my ex asked me out. It blindsided me and I said yes because I didn’t want to be rude. I should have said no.

   I remember when I started being friends with people to mess with my ex. I shouldn’t have done that.

   I remember when my grandfather died. I wish I knew him better.

   I remember when I visited North Dakota. He had dementia and couldn’t take care of himself anymore. He didn’t remember me anymore.

   I remember when he visited from North Dakota when I was seven. He smelled like cigarettes. He only drank Diet Coke.

   I remember when my grandfather was diagnosed with throat cancer. My dad flew out to Arizona to be with him during surgery.

   I remember meeting Jess.

   I remember going on a date with my ex. She picked everything we did. I felt like an accessory rather than a person.

   I remember when I had a crush on Jess when I was with my ex. I didn’t act on it.

   I remember when Jess started dating someone. I felt jealous.

   I remember when I was too afraid to ask her out.

   I remember being anxious until she texted me back.

   I remember our first date.

   I remember being afraid I was going to screw everything up.

   I remember our first kiss.

   I remember our first fight.

   I remember when I realized that I loved her.

   I remember saying “I love you” for the first time.

   I remember when she said it back.

   I remember how happy it made me to have her in my life.

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3. I remember when I was young winter was the worst season.
   I remember when I wished for summer to be all year round.
   I remember when the bus was running late on my way home.
   I remember what dinner that night was.
   I remember drinking tea while watching the Celtics

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4. I remember building castle in the beach for the first time.

   I remember going to my first tennis lesson.

   I remember falling in love with it for the first time.

   I remember losing in a competition at the first time.

   I remember when my little sister born. That was one of the happiest moments in my life.

   I remember playing a cards game called “Taki” and it taught me how too be smart, when to put a stop card, which cards should I stick with and which one should I get rid off.

   I remember the first time I moved a lone to the other side of the world and had to say bye to my family.

   I remember trying to pack my life it 2 suitcases.

   I remember creating a new life and building a new routine in a language that I don’t know.

   I remember the first one way ticket flight that change my life.

   I also remember saying good bye to this place and people who were my hame for 10 months.

   I remember going through this experience once again, but this time to a different place.

   I remember all those memories who shaped the person I am today.

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5. I remember holding onto my seatbelt crying because I did not want to go to school in kindergarten.

   I remember my dad picking me up from school in his 1998 black 4Runner that had a chrome finish

   I remember the cold air from the AC hitting me while I was asleep.

   I remember my dad waking me to go upstairs because my mom made sancocho for us.

   I remember Medicina De Amor playing from the living room speakers.

   I remember being full and I went in my to do homework.

   I remember the 50 multiplication problems that my teacher used in class to see who would finish all of the issues the fastest.

   I remember waking up and realizing that I was going to college.

   I remember filling up gas in my car and thinking about the good times that I had with my friends at the beginning of kindergarten and all the way to the end of high school.

   I remember seeing the smiles from friends and family members while different tears slowly go down my face. Tears of joy because we’ve seen each other grow from being children to becoming young adults with bright futures. Tears of sadness because this will be the last time we will be in class together.

   I remember Strawberry Swing by Frank Ocean playing while I saw my parents following me in my rearview mirror on I-93.

   I remember seeing the words “Stonehill College” as I was taking a right into the entrance.

   I remember being overwhelmed because I never thought that I would be the first person in my family to ever go to college.

   I remember seeing tears coming down from my parents’ eyes while I was hugging them trying to not show the same emotions as well.

   I remember my mother taking a picture of me in my uniform on my first official day of school.

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6. I remember singing Johnny Cash songs in the car with my grandparents and brother. I also remember my grandfather giving my brother and me an allowance every month.

   I remember my dad taking my brother and me to the movies when my mom worked.

   I remember the smell of burning wood. Gathering around by the fire for smores.

   I remember this sandy feeling, coming home from a full beach day. I remember playing pass with the football with my brother and dad.

   I remember the rocks in my shoes from hiding while playing Manhunt. I remember the adrenaline rushing through my body.

   I remember drinking grape juice at my aunt’s friend’s pool.

   I remember my grandparents’ house that my mom grew up in. The sadness of them selling it.

   I remember the sound of the ice cream truck blaring through our neighborhood. Kids rushing outside.

   I remember the excitement on Christmas Eve. Sitting on the steps, waiting for everyone to wake up on Christmas Day. I remember the smells of freshly baked cookies.

   I remember the feeling of grass on your bare feet.

   Instantly, it brings back my childhood.

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7. I remember looking up to my sister thinking all I wanted to be her.

   I remember the first night alone at college without my parents.

   I remember biking to my friend’s house every day to ask them to play outside in the summer.

   I remember committing to play lacrosse at a school I didn’t know much about, nervous to make the phone call but also so excited.

   I remember sitting at the top of the stairs on Christmas morning with my siblings waiting to run and open all the presents.

   I remember packing the car to leave for college with tears in my eyes.

   I remember the last time my friend group hung out before we all went our separate ways.

   I remember going to the beach everyday so excited to jump in the ocean.

   I remember going on my visit for college not knowing where I would end up.

   I remember sitting in my dorm room after my parents left not knowing what to do with myself.

   I remember the last time I got ice cream from the local ice cream place in my hometown.

   I remember being little and not wanting to go to school.

   I remember the struggle I had in math class when everyone else was understanding it.

   I remember sitting in my first college class not knowing what to do or who to talk too.

   I remember going to my last ever eight grade class not knowing it would be my last because of covid 19.

   I remember going home from lacrosse tournaments not knowing if I would ever be recruited to play in college.

   I remember the positive notes from my parents I would get after feeling down about myself after a game.

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8. The tall oak wood trees and grass were vibrant; the smell of lilac flowers outside our what looked neon yellow house was much more potent. I am unsure if I woke up one morning and my sight changed or if it happened over time, but I remember everything was more colorful. I remember my long hair swinging in the wind while jumping on the trampoline and screaming to my mother while she garden to watch my new trick. I remember my imagination. The way I could create any worlds/lives I wanted to. Sometimes, I’d be a chef at the most famous restaurant in Paris; other times, I’d be a mermaid trying to find her long-lost twin just until my dad called for dinner. I remember the taste of his meals, asking me if they were good enough for his princess. They always were. I remember my late-night car rides with him blurring “Cop Car” by Keith Urban with all the windows down. We would sing so loud, so on the rhythm, I’d imagine we were performing for millions of people.
   However, my dad was a better singer. I remember crying a lot, not more than an average little girl, but just enough for my dad to write a song about it. “Don’t cry, little Lilah, don’t cry, little Lilah Jane. Your momma loves you and your daddy too, your big brother, and a who knows who. Don’t cry, little Lilah jane.” I’m not sure when I last heard him sing that song, but I remember it. I remember Christmas at my grandma’s warm house in California. She lit ten candles around the house, which I still get whiffs of to this day. I remember going on the traditional car ride to look for Santa while my mom stayed back to “keep an eye out for him there.” I remember how much innocence I lost when my older brother told me he wasn’t real; the world from my eyes lost a little color, but not too much. I remember the first time I learned that girls can be mean, and it’s not just in movies. I remember the first time I’d ever seen my dad cry while telling me his father passed away. I remember my first heartbreak, the feelings I’d hope never to feel again. I remember how many colors came back into my life when I got my puppy, not as much as I used to see though. Does that just come with getting older… oh well, at least I can remember all of it.

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9. I Remember
   By Jack Peterson
   I remember not speaking to other people
   I remember looking lost in tee ball, basketball, and soccer
   I remember my grandfather teaching me about running
   I remember a bike path, where I learned how to run with my grandfather
   I remember countless track practices at school
   I remember duck ponds and woods from cross country races
   I remember my family being there to support me each time
   I remember watching the Patriots’ 3 Super Bowl championships with my dad and my brother
   I remember yearly Disney World trips with my family
   I remember airplanes and suitcases
   I remember theme parks with mobs of people everywhere
   I remember wonderful attractions and entertainment
   I remember relaxing resort pools
   I remember great dining options
   I remember board games that I played with my aunt
   I remember Scrabble tiles and a Monopoly board
   I remember spaghetti and meatballs, and chicken Alfredo
   I remember awesome family time on Sunday nights
   I remember the sand and the water
   I remember sand castles with my siblings
   I remember being with them at a great atmosphere at basketball games
   I remember all the great times I’ve had with my family over time

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10. I remember walks with my family around my small neighborhood
    I remember not being a social person, hiding behind my parents
    I remember those days out on the field playing catch, or trying out a sport for the first time
    I remember the sweet sound of Bruno Mars in the mornings
    I remember mom singing to 24k Magic
    I remember riding downtown on a bike
    I remember first days of school
    I remember the smell of ocean water
    I remember the feeling of sand on my hands and feet
    I remember digging holes, and building sand castles
    I remember the hot sun frying my back
    I remember the day I had to say goodbye to life at home
    I remember how frightened I was my first day at college
    I remember saying goodbye to my parents, and only being able to hold on to and think about memories from the past

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