Turning Twenty + Getting Sick

I’ve been sick for the past four days. It’s one of those evil sicknesses that I’ve had to stay home, lay around, and exhaust myself from boredom and inactivity. Prior to these four days, I turned twenty! 20.20.20.20.20… I’m still getting used to it. One of the strange things about turning twenty is the realization that I am truly growing up. Sure, I got a taste of this when I turned 13, 16, and of course, 18. But now I’m really not a kid anymore, not even a teenager. Then I got to thinking, these are the years that I will move out for good, begin a career, get married, and hopefully start a family.  Between crossing into a new decade, and being home for four days straight, I’ve had a lot of time to think about some of the things that I never get to think about while I’m busy with my 18-credit-hours and three part-time jobs. I got to think about some of the things that I’ll miss once I’m all grown up…

I’ll miss Anderson’s little footsteps as he runs around each floor of the house. And I’ll miss the way that he talks with his dramatic facial expressions and adorable lisp.

I’ll miss Alexander’s tender hugs and him always showing me what he wrote, what he drew, and what he created out of Lego.

I’ll miss Ryland visiting the third floor precisely once a week to gather my trash. I’ll miss the way he instinctively cracks his knuckles whenever he’s telling a story and the way that he unconsciously giggles whenever someone else is telling it.

I’ll miss the embellished compliments that McKenzie never fails to give me. Even when I know for a fact that I am having a bad hair day, she always seems to think that it looks fantastic. I’ll miss hearing her guitar playing as I fall asleep. I’ll miss coming home to her sweet notes lying on my pillow. I’ll miss watching her grow into that wonderful woman that she is becoming.

I’ll miss Nicholas’ humor. I’ll miss coming home to him throwing the football outside and waiting to open my car door. I’ll miss sitting beside him at the kitchen table and watching him disperse all of his vegetables around his plate so that it “looks” like he ate some of them.

I’ll miss Landon’s hunger for conversation, always wanting to chat with his sisters. I’ll miss his delicious baking and always-creating new and improved recipes. I’ll miss how he challenges me to workout with him. I’ll miss how he carries me up three sets of stairs when I’m sick.

I’ll miss Brianna. I’ll miss the late night chats…even when we’re exhausted, then sleeping through our alarms the next morning. I’ll miss the deep questions that we ask. I’ll miss her help with my hair and my help her with her homework. I’ll miss the way we laugh hysterically. I’ll miss the way that we share everything. I think I may even miss sharing a car. I’ll miss making memories and I’ll miss dreaming together.

I’ll miss Destiny. I’ll miss all the wedding planning and talks about paint swatches for her new house. I’ll miss bursting to tell her a story and her telling me about the newest undiscovered music artist. I’ll miss hearing her heals click across the wood floor. I’ll miss her getting ready in my room and I’ll miss crunching up my toes just to fit into her adorable shoes.

  I’ll miss my Momma. I’ll miss just how she constantly, yes even at twenty, makes me a better woman – one more like Jesus. I’ll miss our chick-flicks and coffee. My Mom amazes me and I can’t even describe how much I will miss her.

I’ll miss my Dad. I’ll miss learning about leadership and discovering that my Dad is the absolute best one that I know. I’ll miss scratching his hair as he falls asleep. I’ll miss hearing the tenderness in his voice when he talks to my mom. I’ll miss spending my days learning at his church and spending my nights learning from his wisdom.

These are just short summaries of what I could literally talk about for hours. It’s crazy; when I was younger, I couldn’t wait to grow up, go away to college, and get on with my life. Now, I sometimes find myself wishing it would all slow down. I wish to freeze the simple moments at the Morrow’s because when I’m all grown and living on my own, I will miss them.

-Whit