A letter from May 21st, 2021

Dear FutureMe, It is me, Marcio, at 13 years of age, I hope that by this time you have already received many scholarships and picked up your preferred college or university. Here at 13 years old, I enjoyed basketball a lot and it was my favorite hobby. There were also many difficult times at this age, many sicknesses, and challenging moments, but thankfully so far, I have persevered through it. I had many friends like Zion, Jon, and others so at this age I had great pals. The worst thing of all though, at this age has been the COVID-19 Pandemic in the USA. It was terrible, there were so many deaths, infections, school cancelations, business restrictions, and separation among families. We had to stay at home, isolated from others, had to wear annoying face masks, social distance from others, and wash our hands constantly. The good news is that we had finally found an excellent application, Zoom, which helped all of us stay connected through video calls. Although Zoom was different from physically being close to someone, it was as close as we could get to people without the need for putting our lives at risk. I thank the Lord that so far, we have fought back against the pandemic, as the vaccine is helping to protect us. At 13 years of age, we have kept the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ to guide our lives. I encourage you to continue believing in God please, as one day it will be worth it. Be faithful. For the future, we have big plans, I have chopped down our choices to three careers, architecture, engineering, or anesthesiology. It will take hard work to achieve one of these careers, but if anyone can do it is you. I also hope that you are one of the top high school basketball players in the country. At the time you are reading this, I expect you to be kind, humble, and wise. Respect all your elders including parents, teachers, coaches, etc. Well, I better finish this letter soon otherwise the teacher might get mad. Remember that God will be with you and guide you every day. You best not have a girlfriend at this age unless mom and dad are okay with it. Before I finish, let me end with these quotes first from Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. God has a plan for you just stay on the right path. The second quote is from Forrest Gump 'Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get." – Forrest Gump. Be prepared because life will have unexpected things occurring try to be ready. The grammar and point of view in this letter will sound weird but don't worry. Love, 13-year-old Marcio Jorge