You have started a new school and have moved to a new town. This is an exciting yet terrifying year for you. You will be given an opportunity to play basketball and that will help you find a niche of friends. Don't give up on the sport. You are going to want to give up because it is hard and you don't like the running. Be strong and keep with it! Yes, I realize this is not what you do but if you listen to your older self this is what you should do.
Church youth groups will become very important to you. That is a good outlet and you will meet your best friend through the youth group. You will go on a youth group trip together and this will be the first time you fly. The two of you will bond and be life long friends. You will go to different colleges, but will stay in touch. You will be in each others weddings. You will have long conversations on the phone until your lives get too busy. You will think about each other often and celebrate each others birthday with a gift. The gift will be special because you know in your heart the two of are still connected. When you think of high school, the friendship you two shared will come to mind.
Dear Erin at 18 thru 22
Your high school friends are going on college tours and having trouble deciding where to go to school. You are not sharing in that anxiety because you have applied to one school and was accepted. You are going to be a W girl like your grandmother, aunts, and cousin. This is a school you said you did not want to go to as a younger child. You were pretty adamant about that. You were living in Alabama during those declarations. You didn't like not having guys in the school. You were afraid of not finding a boyfriend. But things are different now. You visited your cousin who was a student at the W and you fell in love with the campus. You fell in love with the hospitality, the friendship possibilities, and leadership opportunities. You will convince yourself that Mississippi Sate isn't far away and that is where you will find a boyfriend. In August of 1997 your parents' car is packed and you and your best friend from high school (see above paragraph) followed behind your parents and traveled to the W for move in day. What a day of emotions?? You will be excited to see them leave but scared to death. You cry for a second and then meet up with a group of ladies that will change your life.
There is something about the W that was made just for you. I would like to advice you to take it all in, but luckily you did that without any advice from your older self. You did go to State a couple of times and quickly realized you weren't going to find your true love at State during college. Don't let this bother you. In fact don't let boys get you down about yourself. Focus on positive things like the friendships you are making and the experiences you are having being at a woman's college. Soak every memory in and hold it tight. You are going to forget small details but try to document the fun and tough times. You are going to learn about disappoints during these years, but know it makes you a better person. You are going to realize people can turn on you...but in the same breath you will learn that some people will stand by you forever. Focus on those friends and not the ones who don't truly appreciate your love.
You are going to have this drive about you to accomplish something only few get to do. It will be scary, dramatic, and from the outside not something you would typically do. But you will meet your lifelong friends. Friends that laugh at your quirks, want to be involved in your life, friends who let you cry when you think the world has fallen apart, and friends who let you talk nonsense so you can make sense of the thoughts. Friends who you don't ever question their motives, because you know they are the truest people on earth. Friends who will build you up and be there for you if you happen to fall.
You are also going to do a lot of self discovering at twenty years old. I wish I could tell you this will go easy on your heart and emotions, but it does not. You will find out what kind of man you want to be in a relationship with. You will learn all boys are not created equal and some are just down right rude. But then you will learn others have gentle hearts but you weren't ready to make a commitment because you weren't finished finding your true self. Mistakes will be made but lessons will be learned. You are going to conflicted during the next few years because you thought you would be married after graduation. That is not going to the case for you. It will be hard to see your friends get married and have babies before you. This is when you need to show them you are a true friend and be genuinely happy for them. Their lives are changing but they don't leave you out.
After graduating from the W a quiet will set into your life. You will become uneasy which helps you think of your future. You will start doing things that you REALLY enjoy and meet some incredible people along the way. You turn a hobby into a job. You connect with a fun and outgoing friend. A friend that God puts in your life to help you along your journey.
I couldn't find the Prescriptive's picture of us
Then you take another hobby and turn it into a career. You go back to school and get a Master's. At this time in your life you are fearless and I encourage you to keep that attitude. In graduate school you meet and are still friends with some amazing people. Friends you thought you would have only a short time ended up being in your wedding and catching your wedding bouquet. Life is a wonder and the people who come in and out are priceless.
Dear Erin at 31
You are now 31 years old. And the life you dreamed about at 21 has come true. You did marry a State boy. You have a son. And as much as I would like to tell you to change the experiences you had growing up, I won't do that. I won't because you are you because of the things in your past. You love your family. Your parents are your best friends, even your mom who you fought with as a child. She is now the person you talked to more than anyone else. You appreciate your brother and pray for him daily. He is your little brother, now the uncle to your child and you love him very much. You have a husband who does everything he can to make you happy. Please know that good things come to those who are patient. You are not a patient person but you let God take control of your love life and he answered your prayer. You thank Him daily for this as well. You have a healthy, happy son who loves you. A love of a son is something you are going to continue to experience and you feel blessed for this. The lesson you have learned over and over again and the lesson I will leave you with is...Let go and Let God...he knows what he is doing and gives you the avenues to make your life they way you want it...when you trust in Him.
Family
In case you're wondering, I was inspired to take this journey down memory lane by this blog. Check it out and get inspired too...and let me know if you write your own letter after reading mine. I'd love to hear what you have to say to you.
No comments:
Post a Comment