Oh Jenn. I have so many fond memories of growing up with Jenn. We are two years apart and spent a lot of time together. As a child, Jenn was always eager to please everyone and to be everyone's friend. Always ready to play and have fun, content to play along with other people's ideas or willing to be the leader and bring her own ideas into play. The missionaries nicknamed her "Giggles" when she was about 5 and that incredibly apt nickname stuck for a long time.
Jenn continued to develop a charming personality as she got older. Sarah, Karen, me, and Hannah all had a really hard time in middle school. We all struggled with wanting to fit in so badly it hurt, we went through phases of doing anything and everything to get approval from our peers, we all went through at least one "mad at parents" phase, and generally hated being that age. Not Jenn, though. Even though she's consistently eager to please, she never tried to please anyone at the expense of her morals or her pride: she wanted to have friends, but she seemed to know how to make and keep the right ones.
In high school, I remember noticing the same kind of trend in her interactions with people. She was well-liked by many of her classmates, but she cultivated and exuded a wonderful self confidence that was indifferent to peer pressure. She has always known what she wants, and quietly and assuredly pursues it. As the fourth sister, she was the first sibling to opt out of doing the Running Start program. She wanted to do the Dental Assisting program at the technical school instead. So she enrolled and completed the program, which paved the way for her to get accepted into CBC's fiercely competitive Dental Hygiene program. I've always been amazed that from her junior year in high school, she knew exactly what she wanted to study in college and never wavered from it.
Jenn is one of the most creative people I know. She is a talented artist, from drawing to painting to interior design to wedding planning to fashion and everything in between. She has an amazing eye for what looks good, and I often find myself asking for her opinion or asking her to do some random art project for me. Some recent examples include: the framed drawing of a ship hanging in my bathroom, her boardgame "Captain Bacon's Giant Journey", and the t-shirt blanket I commissioned her to make for me. And those are just in the last 12 months!
After she graduated high school, Jenn chose to live at home with my parents because it was a better fit for her immediate life plans. I remember being initially confused by this choice, but I watched as Jenn became a significant adult contributor to my parents' household. As a single lady, she was always picking up a sibling from something, running errands for my parents, doing housework, and whatever else needed doing. She got it done without being asked and without complaint. And even though she never had the typical "away from home" college experience, she never regretted her choice and she brightened the lives of everyone around her.
She never fell into the entitlement trap that so many people our age get fooled by. We all watched as Jenn graciously planned and executed her dream wedding this summer. My dad had broken his leg and was unable to work very much in the months leading up to Jenn's wedding, so her budget from my parents was a lot less than the three of them had initially planned. So Jenn proceeded to buy her own wedding dress and put on the nicest reception that I've ever been to. But it wasn't merely that the lights were strung perfectly or that the s'mores bar was delicious--Jenn carefully considered the needs of her own family and the needs of Taylor's two families and did everything she could to accommodate everyone. I never heard her say anything like "It's my wedding and I get to do what I want!". I only heard her say things like "I just want everyone to have a great time and be happy." What a mature and thoughtful attitude!
One of my favorite traits of hers is how genuine she is. I'm always tempted to think that people that are eager to please aren't sincere, but that's sooooooo not true for Jenn. She understands that her choices affect other people, and she always makes decisions with other people's interests in mind. Jenn is generous when giving her time and attention to others. She listens, helps, and includes people without any thought of reward. She is such a good example to me.
Thank you, Jenn.
No comments:
Post a Comment