A letter from Sep 14, 2023

Dear FutureMe, Kaden Hilliard Period 6 English 10 9/15/23 Dear Future Me, I have 5 siblings, I don’t see all of them a lot but when I do I’m grateful. My older brother is the only sibling I have with the same mom and same dad, everyone constantly says we look alike which I guess is true, we’re 17 months apart. I feel like my past/childhood was and has been really hard, especially with being in foster care on and off and having to be away from my mom. I live with her now though I’m really happy about that, and she’s doing so much better as well which i’m so proud of her, she’s come so far from where she came and who she came from. I used to resent her kind of, for the past but that’s not something anybody should hang on to, or have to hang on to. My best friend Lis is the best person I’ve probably ever met, and it’s crazy to me how I can say that about them. She is so kind, sweet and gorgeous and I know that we will still be friends in the future definitely, and that’s one reason why I brought her up! I appreciate her and love them with all my heart and I could never have asked for a better best friend. I don’t do much with my free time since I get home kind of late (4:20-4:30) because of the LTD buses, but it’s not so bad! At least I get to keep going to the school I like with the people I like. I usually play video games or watch TV in my freetime, but before I do I try to spend some time with my mom and my little brother Robin because I do tend to miss them a lot. I feel like it’s easy to start to not really appreciate the people or thing’s you have in front of you every day, because they’re there, every day. And sometime’s you don’t even notice that you’re not appreciating them or it, so you never start thinking about it. But there will always be a time to grow. I have my best friend Ray as well that lives all the way in Portland, so I don’t see her too much at all. I did over the start of the summer which was really nice to see and connect with her again. We both wen’t to 6th grade together, which I feel like is such a core memory(s) even though I barely remember all of the memories I made. She is very kind and beautiful and just thinks so much about other people which I find so sweet and flattering. I really do wish that I saw her more, but I do appreciate the times when I do get to spend my time with her. I feel like something I’m starting to feel passionate about is how I’ve recently begun to realize how precious life actually is and can be. There are so many people who will try and give you the world, even if theirs is shattered, and that is called love, and just human generosity I feel like. People care so much for other things, or other people, that they start to not even pay attention to their soul, how they need to also give themselves love, not just others and it’s an important thing to learn or at least try to. I feel like a lot of people misunderstand the meaning of life, and I guess everyone has their own thoughts and perception of it overall, but it really is a gift that we should just thank ourselves for and their mothers and/or fathers for. I used to really take it for granted, but now I feel like I’m starting to see the light and beauty of it and what it can bring. Sincerely, Kaden Lee Hilliard