Recently I read an article describing how we store up many of our memories outside our heads, whether online, in diaries, or other people.

A big part of who I am is tied up in the people I’m connected to through shared memories. Whenever we’ve taken a group of teenage lads out on a youth camp it’s always interested me to notice how different they are with each other after climbing up and down a mountain together: more relaxed, confident and in-sync with each other. Sharing experiences does this, it creates community, it cements family.

How many of these shared memories can a small group make together over the course of a year? Browsing through my photos and videos from the last year I decided to let you in on a few of ours. These ones all focus on what’s gone on inside our house, and you’ll see why at the end of the post.

Learning to cook

It has been an… experience. I still occasionally buy way too much of something. We’re still making our way through six large tubes of salad cream, and we’re three pork joints down with another three to go (why do these things always come in sixes?). I’ve really enjoyed putting effort into cooking special meals for friends, and of course the eating has been very fun too.

Speaking of learning…

Our prayer room

This has been a very important feature of our life together. You can read more about the prayer room here.

And of course I can’t fail to mention the many small connections we’ve made with neighbours, healings, acts of generosity, bible studies and one baptism.

Oh, and the fire, there was a fire. I haven’t actually told that story, maybe I’ll write about it soon.

What’s next? Well, this coming week we’ll be moving house, one street away.

I’ll write up a post about that for you v soon, my friends, v soon.