A letter from May 15th, 2021

Dear Future Me, Hi, you're about 23 years old now, and I hope all is going well for you. As an 18 year old, I have learned many important lessons so far in my life, and I hope you kept those with you. One thing I have learned in my life is that my life has value, even when I didn't want it anymore. Another very important lesson I have learned throughout my life is that no matter what situation you are in, there will always be another way through it. You are never trapped in a situation. This really took place in my life summer going into my senior year, and I hope that this lesson carries with you throughout the next five years. Throughout my junior year, I've learned that my identity comes from Christ, not society. This is a lesson that has impacted me in many different ways; it has caused me to look at myself differently, as well as looking at society differently as well. Ever since I learned that my identity comes from Christ, I have been more confident in myself and in my relationship with Christ, which should always be a top priority in your life; without Christ, there is no purpose for our life. In the future, have you found yourself living for Christ, the way God intended for you to live? During the second half of my junior year and all of my senior year, we were stuck in the Covid-19 pandemic. This truly impacted my life and my mental health negatively in many different ways. Being stuck in the house for months caused my mental health to spiral. How is your mental health now? Did you ever go to therapy for your anxiety? As a senior in high school, living through a pandemic has been hard, however, if there is one thing I've learned it's this: time is a precious thing, seeing many people lose their lives to Covid-19 is a very eye-opening experience. We must live our lives for Christ and know that tomorrow is never promised. Another thing I have learned throughout the pandemic is that friends are temporary. Who you are going into college with may not be the same people you graduate college with the same bond. Have you gained a lot of friends throughout college? Have you lost a lot of friends throughout college? I know I’ve gained and lost a lot of friends throughout high school. As I continue my journey throughout senior year, I have become very anxious about graduating. Although I am happy that I am finally graduating from high school, I am very anxious to start the next chapter of my life, because I fear the things that I do not know will take place. How was graduation for you? How has college been going and how have you been doing in school? I think that something I will miss in high school is my teachers: my teachers have been very supportive and understanding with me even when I was so stubborn to do the work assigned. I am also going to miss the community that the choir had. I always felt loved and welcomed when I was in the music room. Something I won't miss is being pulled into so much high school drama that was very unneeded. Something that I have been looking forward to in the future is traveling; have you been traveling? If so, where to? As I await the next five years until you receive this letter, I wonder what you will be like. I hope and pray that you have a strong relationship with Christ and a better relationship with dad. I think that you will have your associates in photography, and work extra hard to become better and better every day. I hope that you are a gritty person with a positive attitude and a very positive influence on those around you. I also hope that you make people laugh the way you did a sophomore year in high school, and I hope that you are happy with who you are, no matter what society says. I love you, I'm praying for you, future self, to love who you are and love those around you. With love, Isabella, your 18-year-old past self.