Come Join the Shelley Gang

Yesterday, during my sick-girl nap, I had a few rip-roarin' dreams. I remember next to nothing about them, but I know they existed because I do remember one thing:

My sister Shelley listed "Speaking ill of the dead" as one of her hobbies.

This made me giggle and laugh and guffaw, because Shelley is the kindest and most thoughtful of all the Chatfield sisters. I wasted no time sharing Shelley's new "interest" on Facebook; many people enjoyed the silly news, but only because they too realized that Shell is the least likely person to speak ill of anyone, much less the dead.

This would not be the first time Shelley has been wrongly accused of bad behavior or teased because of her good nature. In fact, the longest-running joke about Shelley being great is something we Chatfield girls like to call The Shelley Gang.

Conceived sometime in the '90s, the Shelley Gang is a group that exists solely to exclude Shelley. Anyone in the world can join the Shelley Gang, given that they aren't Shelley. Family friends, coworkers, and near strangers have been inducted into the gang. Membership in the Shelley Gang is easy and fun—a current member of the gang asks if you would like to join and then you learn the "S" gang sign, seen below:

The best time to get initiated into the Shelley Gang is when Shelley is present. The eye-rolling and sighing that Shelley commences every time she sees a gang initiation is worth the price of admission. There are no gang colors or participation requirements. If you feel particularly passionate about the Shelley Gang, there does happen to be a theme song you can learn.

The Shelley Gang exists in a spirit of fun; we couldn't get away with it if it weren't for Shelley being such a cool girl. In fact, I doubt that the Shelley Gang would exist at all if Shelley weren't extra special. In essence, the Shelley Gang is a tribute to Shell.

She's still not allowed into the gang, though.

Would you like to join the Shelley Gang?