A letter from the past

Dear FutureMe, This is a letter to remind you of the person you wanted to be at 25, written with the hopes that you haven't strayed too far. It's important you remember: God has a plan for you. He loves you; he wants you to be happy. When you face things that are difficult, remember that you are only given exactly what you can handle, and no more. Everything will be okay. You wanted to learn to cook. I hope you haven't put it off until now - that's rediculous. Pause for a moment and make a list of the things you want to do that you haven't yet - now go do them. Use your gifts, develop them, and find their purpose - then put them to work. (If you did learn to cook, way to be awesome.) Also, remember when you were 25 and you took piano lessons - $100.00 a month (that was a lot to you then!), here's hoping you're still playing and didn't quit when it got hard. If you quit, I hope you had a good reason. I hope you're still going to church. The 20's have been rough on our spirit so far, but perhaps, by now, we're traveling calmer seas. If not, hang on. Like I said, everything will be okay. Most importantly I hope you've honestly realized how beautiful, valuable, wonderful, and unique you are. You've were hard on yourself for a really long time - demanding perfection, condeming imperfections, letting the negative little voice in your head take over... You might not be married yet - that's okay. There is a reason, God's reason, for that. You are no less valuable. Remember the beauty of solitude. You alone are complete and God is your great Prince. He will fullfill you. If you are married, I hope you didn't compromise and married him because you couldn't see the rest of your life without him. I hope you're going easy on him, because you can be tough to handle. I hope you're taking on the world side by side, growing together, and fulfilling God's purpose for your lives. Remember that the love of your marriage should simply be an overflow of God's love into your life. (Also, if you've had kids, don't forget to read them Harry Potter and remember that they're just kids, don't be too hard on them.) Finally, I want you to remember what a year of growth 25 was. You were living with Michael in that 2 bedroom apartment just 5 minutes from work. That's the year you started therapy, remember that? Maybe you're still in therapy (maybe you need to go back), but I hope you've at least learned to let go. I don't know how this thing with your sexuality is going to work out (and I can write that because even if you're married, you've shared it with your husband already), but I know that who you are is a gift - including all the good and bad. Your life, even the really sucky parts, is a fantastic, one-of-a-kind gift, and if you haven't said thank you for it in the last 10 minutes, get down on your knees and do so now. I love you and hope you do too.