A letter from February 2nd, 2021

Dear Future Marlee, Today is February 2nd, 2021. I am about to turn 16 and have no intent of getting my license within the next couple of months. Driving is the worst! However, I know that at the time you’re reading this, you might not agree! You’re almost 21 and probably a junior in college! I wonder where you’re going to college. Probably UT...maybe Carson-Newman. But who knows! I’m known for being spontaneous! You might be in the middle of Europe! I hope that wherever you are, you are sharing the gospel and you have maintained your strong faith. I wonder if you have a boyfriend... At the time I’m writing this, you don’t. I had a boyfriend...I broke up with him. Well, I guess WE broke up with him. Right now COVID-19 is the big thing. I’ve already had it, so I’m rocking those antibodies! The vaccine is just now being released, you know by now whether or not it works. “Drivers License” by Olivia Rodrigo is the number one song in the world right now. You should listen to it! I wonder if it’s as great to a 20 year old as it is to a 15 year old. Let’s see what else is big ...The iPhone 12 just came out, Joe Biden just became president, Kamala Harris became the first female VP, everything in the media is about race and feminism. It’s weird to think about how much worse things probably are in 2026. That’s so weird. 2026 feels like a million years away, but I bet these 5 years go by in the blink of an eye. Right now I’m really into vinyl records. I have 9 of them, but I wonder if I have more now. I’m planning my Sweet Sixteen, I have decided on a rose gold theme and a sleepover! Yellow is my favorite color, which is a new thing. I have $63.09 in my bank account. I hope you have more money than that... I’m watching Vampire Diaries right now. I wonder if I ever finished it..probably. Gilmore Girls is my favorite show, followed closely by The Office (which just left Netflix), my favorite movie is still Tangled. I am definitely writing this letter during geometry class with Mrs. Steimer. You should try and contact her to tell her about this letter! I’m writing a research paper at school and reading every chance I get. I just finished Twilight. I hope you still like reading. Did you ever finish Pride and Prejudice? Did John Green publish anymore books? Has Keira Cass finished the Betrothed series? I bet you’ve read them all... Did the Selection movie ever come out?! I am still receiving IVIG treatments. The last time didn’t go so well. The IV came out and I had to get it put in a different spot. I hope you aren’t still getting IVIG... I hope you’re better. Maybe they’ve found a cure for CIDP by now. Probably not... we’ll see. I am planning on doing a CIDP fundraiser for my capstone. I wonder if that worked out. I hope it did. And I have braces still. I’ve had them for about a year and a half. No end in sight. My bottom teeth are being difficult. Hopefully I have perfect straight teeth by the time I read this again. I have a few questions for you (obviously you can’t answer them, but if you could...this is what I would ask). I Mostly wonder what your major is. But also- What’s your career path is? Do you have a boyfriend? What do you like to do? Are you prettier now? Did you lose the weight I want to lose? Update on the braces? Has anything I said above changed in any way? I hope you finally love yourself... Did you ever get your double piecing? What about you cartilage? Did you get that tattoo you talked about? Lemme know ;) In Him, Past Marlee PS: no matter what you have or haven’t done...you’re still awesome. You’re still loved by Jesus and your family. You’re only 20. You have time to do all the things. Trust God’s timing. He has a plan.