A Letter to the Place That Grew Me
*This picture is from my backyard, now you can see why I will miss it so much.
Foreword: Its midnight, and I have to get up before the sun does, but I can’t sleep. I got a job this week, and it is a job I am actually really excited about. I get to pursue a career in corporate health and wellness and be in a field I actually love and went to school for. The only bad part is that I have to move away from the place that I love. I grew up in a house where my mom would always write us sweet notes and letters all the time. So I have always felt really strongly about the meaning behind words we can put on paper, and how impactful they can be. After the roller coaster of emotion I have felt this week, all I have wanted to do is write a love letter to the town that grew me. Queue crying.
Dear Maysville,
I have lived here since I was 8. I moved here on my birthday to be exact. I will never forget that. It was scary for our family to leave the town that my parents were raised and our family farm, little did we know how much we would come to love you. I guess I should start from the beginning. I grew up in Mayslick, and I almost feel bad saying this out loud, but my childhood was a fairytale. I don’t have a bad memory. My siblings and I have creative souls and never stopped playing outside and creating. My mom would have cookies or brownies for us every day after school along with scavenger hunts and crafts that would entertain us for hours. I think my love for running started at this house. Every day when we got home from school, we would all get out of the van and run next to mom’s car to see how fast we could run down our long driveway (about 10 mph according to the precise technique of using the van speedometer). I could honestly write a book about the happy memories from my childhood. My sisters and I singing at every festival and church you could imagine, going to the Dinner Bell every Sunday after church (oh my goodness, who knew cabbage casserole could be that good?), opening our pool at the beginning of April and swimming even when our lips were blue, Dad building us a play house identical to our real house, playing in the creek next to our house when it would flood, my parents youth group coming over, and so many more. Thank you for those memories, Maysville.
On my 13th birthday we moved into town, and out of the country. I was in 7th grade. We moved into a house that had 6 bedrooms, and I swear to you that there were at least 20 kids there every weekend. We lived behind K-mart, and all of us could walk to Mi Camino and to the movies on the weekend. It was the thing to do. There were quite a few of my friends who lived in that neighborhood and we would have huge games of capture the flag, and basketball games that would last the entire day. If this letter is annoyingly positive, I am sorry. I honestly don’t have a bad memory, which is a blessing within its self.
Without you, I would have never been a part of track or cross country. Which will always be the best memories of my high school, and the reason I am the way I am. At one point I was queen of you, which is funny to look back on, but I had a good run for a while when it came to pageants. I will always love the memories from those weekends with my mom.
Its really hard to thank you for everything. You have given me more than you even know. I raised my puppy here, and have all of my first memories with her here. It is hard for me to let go of everything I love about you. Not only from my childhood, but everything I love right now. I am going to miss my cute little house on the farm, and sitting in my car to watch the sun go down behind the barn. I am going to miss my small groups, and the people it has put into my life. God really knew what he was doing when He put me with them. I am going to miss my best friend, Meghan. I am going to miss the YMCA/my second home and all of the classes I teach and the people I have come to love there. I am going to miss being a part of my church (even though I am going to drive every week to come home), I am worried it might not be the same. I am going to miss seeing my parents every day and working out with my Dad. I am especially going to miss coming home to a freshly mowed yard, and knowing he did it for me, or him coming to rescue me from the ever looming bad people in the world. Or my mom dropping by to see the dogs, when she knows I cant be home, just because she knows it makes me happy. Or her bringing over surprises from Goodwill, and cute clothes because I am a broke college kid and wont buy myself anything. I am going to miss living with Keller and Lolo, because I love them so much and we are our own little family. Im going to miss yelling across the house and telling her to watch a YouTube video. I am really going to miss pulling up to my parents house and picking Boo to go on our daily routine. I am going to miss running at the rec park with Bailey and our almost daily “movie nights”. I am really going to miss pulling into the driveway and seeing my cute brother pull up, and talking about our PRs in the gym. I am scared to move away from people I love, and how much harder it will be to see them. Im sad that I wont see Isabella as much, or be able to help my mom more. (I have been crying the whole time I have been writing this).
I know this sounds crazy, and a lot of people will never understand how I could love a town this much. But, you made me. All the things about my life that I love, where in this town. It is really scary to move on, and I want you to know that all the stories I tell my kids one day will have you in it. I love you, and I’m sorry I have to leave. I know you are proud of me and the things that are coming, but I wanted you to know how much I love you and everything about you. You deserve a little more credit sometimes. Because who doesn’t love a good small town southern girl who grew up playin’ in the mudd and singin’ Allen Jackson. I’ll make you this promise; my kids will grow up in a place like this. I hope that one day a place will give them as much as you have given me.
I love you so much,
-B
P.S. I don’t want you to think that I’m not excited about my job, because I really am. But I really believe in letting your self be a little sad sometimes. I have prayed about this a lot, and I gave it to God. This is my journey, and I am excited to see where it takes me. You never know, I might have two towns to tell my kids about one day…
P.S.S. I know this isn’t about health, but I had to write this. I just couldn’t sleep.
P.S.S As I was writing this, I realized how many people make my life so good. So thank you, to all of you who have added positivity into my life over the years. I wouldn't be who I am without you. Love is a powerful thing.