I heard a song recently, in which the singer speaks of what he would say if he could write a letter and send it back in time to himself at age 17. I was inspired to give it a try.
Lets see...my 17th birthday fell on the last day of school of my Junior year in high school, so my 17th year included my last summer between school years, and my Senior year of high school. Looking back now, I would say....
Dear Blessed,
You have absolutley no idea how truly blessed you are!! But, you are also completely unable to see that right now.
This terrible thing that happened to your family, the lies that caused your whole world to change, WILL pass. I promise, it WILL get better. Just trust the Lord. Stay in your Bible each day, and pray. What God has in store for you and your family is so much better than what you have lost!!!
Now, on to more practical things. Be thankful for J. She is a TRUE and dear friend, and her friendship is something you will come to treasure throughout your life.
PLEASE don't be a mouse. Give that guy who insults you when he sees you in the halls at school a piece of your mind. DON'T let anything he says bother you in the least. He has absolutely NO character. It shows now, but his adult life will bear this out even more.
?? IS an adult, and your teacher, so it's GOOD that you show her respect because of that, but PLEASE understand, her opinion of you does not have to be, and SHOULD NOT influence your opinion of yourself. Her opinion is just that~an opinion, and nothing more. Trust me, once you graduate, every day you will care less and less what she thinks, and you will know that the words she said to you mean nothing.
Say thanks to RJ and JC. Their wonderful influence on you will be there throughtout your life.
Don't trust any person more than you trust the Lord. People will fail you. HE won't.
Skip the Junior/Senior Banquet. In a word? LAME!!
B doesn't seem like such a nice guy right now, but when he grows up, he actually GROWS UP for real, and he's a good friend. Be sure to smile and say hello when you see him.
Give E a little more of your time and attention. She really needs a friend.
A lot of people will tell you that these are "the best years of your life". Trust me, they are SO NOT!!
The Lord has chosen a wonderful man to be your husband. It will take some patience, but when you find him, you'll KNOW.
Don't take that first job that you are offered. You would be better off never to have had the other people who work there in your life.
Take it easy, enjoy today, and don't sweat it. These may not be the BEST years of your life, but they'll be full of some great memories that will bring you smiles later on.
Oh, and by the way, DON'T rent Dirty Dancing when you invite the kids from church over. Daddy WON'T take too kindly to that! :)
Love,
ME
