Thursday, May 2, 2013

Book Club memories…

In November I looked at the calendar one Tuesday afternoon and realized that I’d completely forgotten book club that day.  I shrugged my shoulders and was like “meh.”  My last 2 book clubs here in Oregon have been better, though—I’ve enjoyed the book conversation and the other conversation as well.  Last month at the last minute I offered to host, so the day before was spent cleaning, trying to be sure that everything visible would look decent the next day.  As I was laying in bed that night thinking of the things I needed to do the next morning (ours here is a lunch-time book club) I started thinking of all of the wonderful Durham book club memories I had…

Do you remember years ago when we used to meet in the church, in the Relief Society room?

Do you remember when we had the Twilight discussion and twenty-five (TWENTY-FIVE!!!) women showed up to Lindsay’s small townhouse?!?

Do you remember when Martha had to host book club all the time because Richard was on call again? 

Do you remember how no book club evening was complete without one of Tami’s awesome stories?  Seriously, I told the one about Isaac under the xray machine at the airport just last weekend while I was in Utah.

Do you remember how you all let me hold your sweet babies, which I loved so much? 

Do you remember the night we talked about Killer Angels, and we congratulated ourselves on having such a long discussion on a book without a single woman in it?

Do you remember reading Dr. Laura’s book, and the Happiness Project, and the book about the restaurant critic,and Malcolm Gladwell, and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle?

Do you remember the month that we read the Mother Styles book, and how we each told something we’d learned about ourselves.  Do you remember how amazing it was to realize that we actually were all different, and that was ok?

Do you remember when Becky read the wrong book?

Do you remember when Melissa cleaned her bathroom with a sock?

Do you remember how many people came who never read the book, but just knew that it was going to be awesome anyway?

Do you remember that one year when the ward was so big that book club was almost too big some of the time? 

Do you remember the book about the ER doctor, and how I learned so much from all of my resident-wife friends that night about the challenges of being a doctor?

Do you remember having the September choose-the-books-for-the-year book clubs at my house –with chocolate fondue? 

Do you remember the ongoing battle between Team Edward and Team Jacob?

Do you remember that one time in the late spring we left Amy’s house super late—maybe 12:30AM, and it was still 83 degrees!  (I’m pretty sure I drove home with the top down!)

Do you remember how almost no one was on time, but how we’d all show up in dribs and drabs, sometimes laughing and already engaged in conversation with whoever else had shown up at the same time?

Do you remember Audrey’s driveway in the dark?

Do you remember feeling the spirit in our conversations?  Do you remember laughing until we cried?  (The ugly laugh!) Do you remember the night we talked about our most embarrassing giving-birth moments and then cautioned each other “what happens at book club stays at book club!”

Do you remember the spider???

Do you remember that one night when everyone went home at 10:30?  NO—because that never happened!!

 

I lay there in bed that night smiling to myself…thinking of how many wonderful book club memories are tucked away in my mind and especially in my heart.  Sure I appreciated the books we read.  But even more I appreciated the bonds that we formed and the love that we shared. 

 

What do you remember???

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5 comments:

  1. Am laughing, smiling and crying...and remembering when Lindsay read all but the last 3 pages of Life of Pi:). I went to exactly one book group after I moved away, but it just wasn't the same!

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  2. This post made me so happy-sad!!!!!!! And I have never heard the story of Isaac and the airport x-ray machine... you need to tell me! I still laugh over the spanking one. And the apple juice one.

    BTW, I didn't comment on your last post because my hands were (of course) full of baby, but I wanted to say - I moved away a long time before you did and I STILL talk about NC and think about it all the time! It is a special place.

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  3. I miss NC book club! I remember one night when book club here ended at 9 pm (after 1 hr) thinking that was when things were starting to get into full swing in NC. I miss everyone!

    BTW, congrats, Cindy Lynn, on being a mom, and Cindy, on being a grandma!

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  4. I loved reading your reminiscing's of book club, too! I loved our book club, and it was a sad reality to move to San Diego and find out the book club wasn't at all the same! Your help and guidance in starting a new book club after our ward divided was so valuable!!! Now it's in full swing, and its a night I look forward to again. But the Durham book club was just full of such wonderful people, all in the same place- it's just impossible to find the same dynamic!!! But it gave me a vision for what could be, and it's been good after 3 1/2 years here to finally see a some of those same laughter and tear filled evenings emerge. You were certainly the soul of the group! We all love you Cindy, and I learned a lot from seeing how you interacted with all of us!!!

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  5. That was a great list of memories and quite complete! So many fun times and funny stories to remember. Some of my favorite stories come from Melissa and Kim :) I remember the many Hunger Game discussions and our couples dinner discussion we had and Wells' many war strategy ideas from it. Gosh, and we've read so many great books!
    Maybe we need to try for a reunion book club sometime ? :)

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