Golden Days...

A splitting headache
Wakes me up
I force open eyes heavy with fatigue
Damp hair clings to my neck
As I fling back the covers
I shake away sleep
And realize
That today
Is my birthday

Today is the 19th of March
And today
I am 19
I feel so old
As if life is finally starting to catch up
I won't be a kid much longer

I can still remember
When I was so little
That I had to climb
Up the front of our kitchen cabinets
Just to see what was on the counter

I can remember
Running through shoulder high grass
In my back yard
And feeling as if I was lost
In the world's deepest jungle

I can remember the day
When I was 3
And I opened my heart
To the love of my Savior
And was filled with joy indescribable

I can remember cooking
My first meal for the family
My 8 year old heart
Bursting with pride
In my accomplishment

I remember when I  was 13
And started hating
The body I saw in the mirror
And I remember
Coming to terms with it again

I remember the long days of 15
Spent doing school work
At the kitchen table
As the chatter flew
Between my sisters and me

I remember my first day of school
When I was 17
And I was so scared
Until Myles erased my fear
With his kind smile
And friendly conversation
As we ate lunch
Before our first calc 2 class

I remember my 18th birthday
The wonderful surprise
The lovely chocolate cake
That my dear Kimi, Chihi, and Matt
Had waiting for me in CH11
It was the first day of the most tumultuous year of my life

The year I fell in love
And learned that a broken heart
Is more than a phrase from a fairy tale
When I realized that happiness
Can exceed all expectations
And words can cut deeper
Than the sharpest knife

Yes, today is my birthday
Today, I am 19
So I remember
Everything that came before
And I look forward with excitement and hope
To what lies ahead
With an open heart
And throbbing head