a Sunshine for my Allstate fam

I’m back in my favorite place again: on tour with the Mississippi Baptist Allstate Youth Choir & Orchestra. I literally could go on and on about Allstate forever but I don’t want to get ahead of myself.

So at Allstate we have this thing called “Share Night” where, just like it sounds, all of the choir members and adults sit around in a big circle and share memories, revelations, and feelings with each other in a mushy, happy, sad, often cliché, and cheesy (but in a good way) evening after our first concert. So I thought Mrs. Susan (our choir coordinator) was going to ask only the four-year seniors to speak at Share Night again this year like she did last year, and since I’m not really good at speaking on emotional subjects in front of large groups of people I decided to write a Sunshine to read to everyone. (Sunshines are like our own little mail system where we write each other notes throughout the week.) Unfortunately I was unable to read the Sunshine to everyone at Share Night due to some new rules regarding the structure of the event (and because I was crying too hard to have read it anyway), but I still felt it needed to be shared so I’m hoping all of the Allstate members will see this here 🙂

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Hey Allstate fam,

What a beautiful thing to get to spend four years in an amazing choir with such wonderful people. Allstate has truly been one of the best weeks of my year for the past four years of my life. Like I literally look forward to it all year and am so excited when June rolls around and I get to make the 4.5 hour journey from Ox to Carey.

I’m sure most of you know but in case you don’t, high school is so hard. I can say that as a graduated senior (lol). So to be able to escape the drama of the real world and find solace in the amazing people that you find here is truly a gift from God.

Music has always been the way that I communicate with God, so to be able to spend a week in fellowship with such musically talented children of God is literally so amazing and kind of a dream come true. Like I don’t know about yall but there is no where at my school that I can find 120 musically talented, fun-loving, CHRISTIAN kids. So this is literally my favorite group of people in the world and I’m so grateful I got to spend four years with yall.

To the newbies,

You’ve already made it through one concert. You’ve sung a lot of crazy notes, and you’ve met a bunch of crazy people, but you already know why everyone says this place is so special. God is here with Allstate, whether we’re at Carey, or at a host home, or performing in a jail, and we’re here to do our job for Him which is none other than to use our God-given talents to praise Him. So go on. Jump in and Join us as we use all we’ve got to try and make an IMPACT *clap* on Mississippi.

To the seniors,

It’s cool this year for us because we kind of appreciate things more. Like our last marathon day, or our last first rehearsal, or the last time we all sing The Lord Bless You and Keep You together for the first time and stand amazed as all of the chords magically fall in place together. Everything is like overly special this year and I just encourage yall to appreciate every little thing this week on our last (best) journey. It’s been real kids.

I love all of you so so much, and I look forward to the rest of our journey together. May we always be in fellowship with one another, for the rest of our lives. Allstate fam forever!!!!! (insert heart emojis)

Sincerely, Meagan

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