Starry Night Thoughts

Letters to Self [3rd place WritersStruggle]

Dear Younger Me,

Hello, it's me. (You wouldn't get reference that yet, but you will in a few years. Trust me, you'll get so sick of that song.)

I am not writing to you to tell you that you will face pain and sadness in these next few years. You already know you will. I'm writing to tell you that no matter what is thrown at you, you will not give up.

The place that you have been going to since you were three will close. You've always know that this is inevitable, that it will happen eventually.

You just never knew when.

You travel. You go to the nearest place like that, an hour and a half away. You have lessons on Saturday morning at another building. You get better. You get good.

One day, you will fall. Your knee will get twisted. I could tell you to ignore it. The fact is, you will anyway. A few weeks of falling on the same place takes you out of your sport. You go to a doctor. They say lay off the jumps for while. You do, but when you try again, old habits came back.

You get frustrated. You quit.

I'm telling you, do not quit. You will miss it so much that it hurts. You eventually go back and do some more, but only recreationally. When you do this, do it with your heart, do it with your soul. Don't do it because you think you will go to the Olympics. That is the wrong reason. Do what you love because you love it.

You go back to the other activity you had put off. You start up in the summer, after taking a year and a half away. You find that joy in doing what you love again. You decide that you want to try out for company.

When you go to ask your teacher if you should, she tells you that you stink. That you are too fat. That you don't have the right qualities. You aren't the "perfect" little person.

You will smile. You will leave. You will find somewhere new. The place that you will go to, you are still at now, loving every second of it.

You go to youth on Sunday nights. You get into the morning worship band. You get into the youth band. You find joy in music. Believe it or not, you will make friends. Although you may not think so sometimes, they are your friends.

I still have those same, precious friends today.

You find happiness through music. You start to teach yourself how to draw. You find out you like special effects. You discover a love for writing.

Love your family and your friends, even the ones you don't know about. There is a girl at church who is hurting. You can't stop what she will do, but talk to her. Try to be her friend. Let her few remaining months be happy.

Love your animals. Kiss the older Chihuahua for me. The younger one too. Pet your cat.

Love your family. Your sibling, parents, grandparents. You never know how much longer they will be around.

If I could send this back in time to you, I would. Even with the "puncturing a whole in space-time" thing. You will find out all of these things on your own. You will have doubts. Just ignore them.

And last of all, be yourself. Don't ever think that you need to change.

Sincerely, Your Older Self

James 1:2-8

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faithproduces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.