A letter from May 21, 2023

hello beloved, happy 25th!! you've gotten another letter today, from your 16 year old self. consider this letter damage control, because i'm quite sure that one will be devastating to read. we both know it got better, but the dani in memory is still hurting. i get it. honor her today with your joy. you are now a quarter of the way through our life! you're three years older and wiser than me, but here is a poem by Mary Oliver that i think you'll benefit from remembering: "Instructions for living a life: Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it." i love you! i hope you're gobbling up every day, and they sit in your tummy like a warm meal, and i hope you're healing, too. i don't know if today is full of friends and big celebration, or if its a quieter one, but either way, you deserve it. you deserve every inch of love and peace that comes your way. let it sit in your heart! let it sink in! i love you so much, past you <3