One of the many blogs that I read periodically had this idea that everyone should write a letter to themselves at some major point in their past. I thought that intriguing so here goes.......
Dear Me in 1972,
You will not believe how fast time flies. Here I am -- old enough now to go to my 35th high school reunion! So the first thing I want to tell you is STOP longing for some future event...becoming 18, turning 21...it'll happen before you know it. There is so much I know now that would have helped you so much back then. But if you knew it then you wouldn't be who you are today. And finally, after all these long years, I mostly really like you now. The hurts I could have warned you about made you who you are, so it is hard to tell you to do something differently. BUT, if I was going to give you advice here are the things I would say.
First of all, LEARN TO LAUGH AT YOURSELF!!! You take things way too seriously and it causes you so much agony. Believe me, your mistakes aren't fatal. And you know what else? Everyone else is so worried about their own stuff they aren't paying nearly as much attention to you as you assume. So lighten up. Laugh. Secondly don't be so afraid of failing that you don't try new things. Don't demand perfection before you act. Try something new every chance you get. Things that you will treasure will come hard...so get in there and work for them. Stop settling for the things you know you can achieve.
Here's what I want you to know....YOU ARE WORTH IT! YOU ARE LOVEABLE! You deserve to be treated like the treasure you are. Demand it!
Cherish your relationships. About 10 years from now you are going to meet someone that will change your life. Not because it's some grand romantic relationship because you will be married. It will be because you learn for the first time that death can come quickly and way, way too early. You learn to say "I love you" and not be afraid. So if you love someone, tell them!
More than anything you should get to know Jesus. NOT religion. Not doctrine. You waste so many years doing church and there is going to come a heartbreaking time in your life when you discover that church isn't going to sustain you. Of course you learn then what it means to walk with Jesus....but oh, you could be so much farther along if you learned that earlier. Get in the Word for something other than trying to prove you are right and everyone must agree with you.
I guess when it is all said and done those are the most important things you should know. You are going to experience some really hard things but, girl, you are so capable of dealing! The Lord is going to become so very real to you and you are going to find out that you don't need much else. Crushing heartbreak, betrayal, loss....they are all going to mold you into the woman you are now in 2007. I'm proud of who you've become.
Love,
Me in 2007
p.s. Memorize your daddy's face and hands and voice. Store up every memory. Make more memories because the time is going to come way, way sooner than you were ready that the memories will be all you have. And that's the saddest thing of all.
