In High School our 10th grade teacher had us write our selves a letter that she would mail to us when we graduated. I don't know about you, but I love to read my old papers, poems, journals, etc. I love this not only because it reminds me of events and my thought process in my life at the time, but it also shows me how I have grown over the years. Today I ran across this letter and it read:
Hey Ashley!
How are you doing now days? I hope you are doing fine. Your graduating this year so hopefully you know what collage your going to attend, and I hope it's a good one! Ha ha! Hopefully you have a good enough job to pay those collage bills and to keep you from going hungry. Remember to be yourself in the new world because that's who you are at your best. "Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no ones definition of your life; define yourself." -Harvey Fierstein
Hopefully you have passed all of those skating tests you wanted to and I hope you had fun with the greatest softball coach ever, Mikayla. Be sure to make lots of new friends, even though they could never replace the ones here in Zimmerman. Try your hardest in collage. It might be tough but just remember, "You never fail until you stop trying." So keep it up.
In five years I hope you've graduated collage with a 4-year degree and have an enjoyable good paying job to show for those years of school. Maybe you have a husband now or a potential husband. I hope he's as great as our romantic stories in Duetsch Klasse. I hope he loves to travel and loves to laugh and have as much fun as you do. So did you visit those places and do the things you wanted to do on your "Places to go and things to do" list? If you did I hope you had the greatest time ever and brought back some cool souvenirs. I hope you have some new friends but still keep in touch with Kayla. Remember you promised each other you would be at the others wedding. You guys have been together forever and have so many memories.
Well, in ten years I hope you have that interior designing job you absolutely wanted. I know how much you love to create and design things. "Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss you'll land among the stars." -Les Brown
Hopefully your side job teaching figure skaters is doing well and maybe I'll see your skaters on TV someday. I hope your wedding was great on the beautiful oceanic beach. I hope your kids are doing great and I hope you have a nice luxurious home up in the mountains and close to a beach like you've dreamed of. Life may get rough sometimes though, but keep your head up. Look at the many things you've accomplished and that you still have to accomplish and be glad you have the ability to do so. "Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow." -Anon
I hope when you get this letter you will have accomplished as much as you wanted to. Even though High school is in the past never forget all of the things you learned in little zimmtown, and maybe you'll know as much as Mr. Vevea does! Always learn from your mistakes and it will make the next time around much easier. Keep your friends in mind and remember all of the things they've showed you, and all of the memories happy and sad. Well I better wrap this up, so have fun living life and keeping God close to your heart and remember one more thing, "Today give a stranger one of your smiles. It might be the only sunshine he sees all day."-Jackson Brown Jr.
Sincerely,
Ashley Wilson
While I was reading, I laughed at the memories it brought back, cringed at all of the spelling and grammar mistakes I made, and reflected on how drastically my thoughts, views, goals and dreams have changed over the years. It's fun to hear myself from years ago, but what would have been really awesome is if I could have given myself a letter then from me right now, just like Brad Paisley's song Letter To Me. From 2005 till now I have grown tremendously and if I could write a letter to myself as a child from me as of now, in the future, this is what I would say:
Dear Ashley,
You are a gift. You are a unique puzzle piece meant to fill a missing spot in God's kingdom.
There will be many people in this world that will try to discourage you and hurt you. You will run across many people who will dislike you and persecute you for who you are and for being a child of God. Don't let them get you down. You have a heart filled with love which means you will get hurt often, but do not hold this hurt in your heart. Give your hurt to God. If you hold onto these things you will become bitter and it will destroy you. Even in your hurt and your pain, continue to love. Love the ones that hurt you and continue to be yourself.
While you may run across many people that will deceive and hurt you for who you are, you will also run across many that will love you and accept you for who you are. Wait patiently for these people. They are well worth the wait. When you meet them, be yourself. Don't change. If you must change, change because you have been convicted. Change to better God's kingdom and to help others, not for the acceptance of others. The people that you want to surround yourself with are the ones who accept you for who you are all around, beliefs, thoughts, accomplishments, failures, hobbies, looks, past, future, etc. These people will want you to grow and help you to continually grow. This means they will not be afraid to tell you what you need to hear. I can't wait for you to meet all of these wonderful people!
I also want you to remember though, that those people that are here to hurt you and try to discourage you , they are here for your own growth. So welcome these people and moments in your life, for they will make you who you are. You will always have struggles in your life, but these struggles build your character. They give you experiences. They teach you. They strengthen you. They give you a connection to others and they continually open your eyes. God uses these struggles and difficulties to remind you to rely on him. Do it. He uses it to build your character and once he's helped you through one struggle there will always come another one, different and bigger than the next. Remember that after every struggle God will always shed you some light. You might not know what he is doing in the moment and why everything seems to be falling apart at the time, but know that he has a plan and everything is happening according to his plan. You are a part of his plan.
I want you to know that you will make many mistakes in your life and will come to realize that you are no better than any other person in the entirety of this world. Do not be discouraged by this either, for God's grace takes away your sin. How great to know this! So do not hold these sins in your heart either. Do not hold on to the mistakes you have made and let them destroy you, because they will. Again, give them to God and he will wash them all away, leaving you clean and full of life. For it is with God's guidance that you will be free, not with man's.
Remember to love yourself. You will forget this and it will cause you pain, but when you learn to love yourself for who you are it will bring you so much joy! I can't wait for you to feel this! When you realize this do not forget it. You can not fully love and help others if first you do not love your self. God said to love your neighbor as yourself instead of saying more than yourself for a reason.
I want you to enjoy the moments that you are in and realize that these are the moments worth living. It's in these moments that you have the chance to love, to inspire, to give, to create, to help, and to change. God only gave us a certain amount of opportunities on this earth, so use them and do not hold back. Sometimes you will get the feeling that you should speak or act but not want to, do it anyway! Most of the time its scary and uncomfortable, because it requires you to step outside of your comfort zone and you risk the chance of being rejected and loosing your pride, but I tell you do it anyway. God requires us to speak up and act. Our days are numbered and who knows if we will have tomorrow to do what we chose not to do today.
I know at times in your life you will want many things. Let me tell you and kindly remind you that all of these things mean nothing, so do not hold tightly to any of them. Do not compare yourselves to others, this is where the wanting starts. More than half of this world lives in extreme poverty, not having food or even clean water daily. Think about this when you complain to your parents about not having new clothes or being able to buy certain things. They are just things. The most important thing in life is to love. Loving, giving and caring for others. These are the things that make a difference and are worth caring about. It's these things that live eternally.
I would also like to tell you to not hold back. That is one thing I wish I would have learned a long time ago. If you want to do something, do it. Don't wait for someone to tell you you should do it, that it's ok to do it or waiting for someone to do it with, but just go out and do it. Do not wait. Cherish your relationships and do not work your life away. Make time for family and friends or your work will always take precedence in your life and you will miss out on building your relationships with others. Listen to your family and friends. You may not want to hear what your family or friends have to say sometimes, but trust me they are saying it out of love for you. You may hate what they are telling you now, but you will thank them later. They will not always say the right thing so reflect on what it is they are saying, bring it to God to find out whether or not it is valid. Remember God uses the people you come across daily to speak through, to you. It is also important to remember that you do not know everything, so do not act like it. Admit when you are wrong and do not put others down, because they do not know something that you yourself know. You are not here to show the world how much you know, you are here to show God's love to others. When you come across a conflict, remember to never go to bed angry. Let go of your pride and bring reconciliation. I know it is hard to do sometimes, but it is the right thing to do and will give you a peace of mind.
Do not judge others, love them. Everyone has their faults and failures just as you have yours. Reflect on what you need to work on in your life, not what others need to work on.
Remember that people do not need to hear what you are against they need to see that you care and they need to see you act out of love.
You will get your heart broken a few times by someone you love the most, but let me tell you it is worth it. You will learn so many lessons from the relationship that you had and from the heart break you will experience. For the next time around keep this list as your guide:
Look for someone who;
Loves Jesus and puts God first
Is honest
Smart with their money
Wants to help and give to others
Not materialistic
Interested in what you do and wants to learn about what you do and what you like
Can have conversations about ideas and issues
Does not get frustrated with your constant questioning
Open to trying new things
Likes being outdoors
Likes to go do things and travel
Good at making decisions
Patient
Loves kids and people
Will help you grow as well as you helping them grow
Does not stick to set traditional roles, but works together as a team
Gets along with your family and friends
Eats healthy or willing to eat healthy
Loves you for who you are
Will do things that you like to do as well as what they like to do
Does not choose their friends over you
Open to moving places and not set and stuck on one place in the world
Likes to be silly and have fun with you!
You will go through a huge growth process in your life in which your morals, beliefs and lifestyle will be challenged. You will have experiences with doubt and confusion, but it is all just a part of the process. Let them happen, do not fight it.
As far as where you will end up, I have no idea. All I know is that God knows what he is doing so trust and follow him and worry no more. Look to him and he will guide you in the direction he wants you to go.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Proverbs 3:5&6
Do not get caught up in deadlines, grades, awards, money, bills, the to do list, goals, dreams, jobs, etc etc to the point that you worry your life away. Trusting God with these and coming to the realization that these should not be the focus of your life is the most freeing and stress relieving experience. So girl, let it all go!
And if there were only two pieces of advice that I could give you it would be these:
Do not worry and Love with all that you have.
Take these words and live by them:
Don't just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God's people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you. Don't curse them; pray that God will bless them. Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with each other. Don't be to proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don't think you know it all! Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all you can to live at peace with everyone. Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,
"I will take revenge;
I will pay them back,"
says the Lord.
Instead,
"If your enemies are hungry , feed them.
If they are thirsty , give them something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap
burning coals of shame on their heads."
Don't let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.
Romans 12:9-21
I know this is a lot to process, but i know you will take it all in and take it to heart. I'm excited to see the plans God has for you and to see how he will use you in this plan of his.
Keep on smiling, laughing and living life one day at a time.
Love,
You
Hey Ashley!
How are you doing now days? I hope you are doing fine. Your graduating this year so hopefully you know what collage your going to attend, and I hope it's a good one! Ha ha! Hopefully you have a good enough job to pay those collage bills and to keep you from going hungry. Remember to be yourself in the new world because that's who you are at your best. "Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no ones definition of your life; define yourself." -Harvey Fierstein
Hopefully you have passed all of those skating tests you wanted to and I hope you had fun with the greatest softball coach ever, Mikayla. Be sure to make lots of new friends, even though they could never replace the ones here in Zimmerman. Try your hardest in collage. It might be tough but just remember, "You never fail until you stop trying." So keep it up.
In five years I hope you've graduated collage with a 4-year degree and have an enjoyable good paying job to show for those years of school. Maybe you have a husband now or a potential husband. I hope he's as great as our romantic stories in Duetsch Klasse. I hope he loves to travel and loves to laugh and have as much fun as you do. So did you visit those places and do the things you wanted to do on your "Places to go and things to do" list? If you did I hope you had the greatest time ever and brought back some cool souvenirs. I hope you have some new friends but still keep in touch with Kayla. Remember you promised each other you would be at the others wedding. You guys have been together forever and have so many memories.
Well, in ten years I hope you have that interior designing job you absolutely wanted. I know how much you love to create and design things. "Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss you'll land among the stars." -Les Brown
Hopefully your side job teaching figure skaters is doing well and maybe I'll see your skaters on TV someday. I hope your wedding was great on the beautiful oceanic beach. I hope your kids are doing great and I hope you have a nice luxurious home up in the mountains and close to a beach like you've dreamed of. Life may get rough sometimes though, but keep your head up. Look at the many things you've accomplished and that you still have to accomplish and be glad you have the ability to do so. "Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow." -Anon
I hope when you get this letter you will have accomplished as much as you wanted to. Even though High school is in the past never forget all of the things you learned in little zimmtown, and maybe you'll know as much as Mr. Vevea does! Always learn from your mistakes and it will make the next time around much easier. Keep your friends in mind and remember all of the things they've showed you, and all of the memories happy and sad. Well I better wrap this up, so have fun living life and keeping God close to your heart and remember one more thing, "Today give a stranger one of your smiles. It might be the only sunshine he sees all day."-Jackson Brown Jr.
Sincerely,
Ashley Wilson
While I was reading, I laughed at the memories it brought back, cringed at all of the spelling and grammar mistakes I made, and reflected on how drastically my thoughts, views, goals and dreams have changed over the years. It's fun to hear myself from years ago, but what would have been really awesome is if I could have given myself a letter then from me right now, just like Brad Paisley's song Letter To Me. From 2005 till now I have grown tremendously and if I could write a letter to myself as a child from me as of now, in the future, this is what I would say:
Dear Ashley,
You are a gift. You are a unique puzzle piece meant to fill a missing spot in God's kingdom.
There will be many people in this world that will try to discourage you and hurt you. You will run across many people who will dislike you and persecute you for who you are and for being a child of God. Don't let them get you down. You have a heart filled with love which means you will get hurt often, but do not hold this hurt in your heart. Give your hurt to God. If you hold onto these things you will become bitter and it will destroy you. Even in your hurt and your pain, continue to love. Love the ones that hurt you and continue to be yourself.
While you may run across many people that will deceive and hurt you for who you are, you will also run across many that will love you and accept you for who you are. Wait patiently for these people. They are well worth the wait. When you meet them, be yourself. Don't change. If you must change, change because you have been convicted. Change to better God's kingdom and to help others, not for the acceptance of others. The people that you want to surround yourself with are the ones who accept you for who you are all around, beliefs, thoughts, accomplishments, failures, hobbies, looks, past, future, etc. These people will want you to grow and help you to continually grow. This means they will not be afraid to tell you what you need to hear. I can't wait for you to meet all of these wonderful people!
I also want you to remember though, that those people that are here to hurt you and try to discourage you , they are here for your own growth. So welcome these people and moments in your life, for they will make you who you are. You will always have struggles in your life, but these struggles build your character. They give you experiences. They teach you. They strengthen you. They give you a connection to others and they continually open your eyes. God uses these struggles and difficulties to remind you to rely on him. Do it. He uses it to build your character and once he's helped you through one struggle there will always come another one, different and bigger than the next. Remember that after every struggle God will always shed you some light. You might not know what he is doing in the moment and why everything seems to be falling apart at the time, but know that he has a plan and everything is happening according to his plan. You are a part of his plan.
I want you to know that you will make many mistakes in your life and will come to realize that you are no better than any other person in the entirety of this world. Do not be discouraged by this either, for God's grace takes away your sin. How great to know this! So do not hold these sins in your heart either. Do not hold on to the mistakes you have made and let them destroy you, because they will. Again, give them to God and he will wash them all away, leaving you clean and full of life. For it is with God's guidance that you will be free, not with man's.
Remember to love yourself. You will forget this and it will cause you pain, but when you learn to love yourself for who you are it will bring you so much joy! I can't wait for you to feel this! When you realize this do not forget it. You can not fully love and help others if first you do not love your self. God said to love your neighbor as yourself instead of saying more than yourself for a reason.
I want you to enjoy the moments that you are in and realize that these are the moments worth living. It's in these moments that you have the chance to love, to inspire, to give, to create, to help, and to change. God only gave us a certain amount of opportunities on this earth, so use them and do not hold back. Sometimes you will get the feeling that you should speak or act but not want to, do it anyway! Most of the time its scary and uncomfortable, because it requires you to step outside of your comfort zone and you risk the chance of being rejected and loosing your pride, but I tell you do it anyway. God requires us to speak up and act. Our days are numbered and who knows if we will have tomorrow to do what we chose not to do today.
I know at times in your life you will want many things. Let me tell you and kindly remind you that all of these things mean nothing, so do not hold tightly to any of them. Do not compare yourselves to others, this is where the wanting starts. More than half of this world lives in extreme poverty, not having food or even clean water daily. Think about this when you complain to your parents about not having new clothes or being able to buy certain things. They are just things. The most important thing in life is to love. Loving, giving and caring for others. These are the things that make a difference and are worth caring about. It's these things that live eternally.
I would also like to tell you to not hold back. That is one thing I wish I would have learned a long time ago. If you want to do something, do it. Don't wait for someone to tell you you should do it, that it's ok to do it or waiting for someone to do it with, but just go out and do it. Do not wait. Cherish your relationships and do not work your life away. Make time for family and friends or your work will always take precedence in your life and you will miss out on building your relationships with others. Listen to your family and friends. You may not want to hear what your family or friends have to say sometimes, but trust me they are saying it out of love for you. You may hate what they are telling you now, but you will thank them later. They will not always say the right thing so reflect on what it is they are saying, bring it to God to find out whether or not it is valid. Remember God uses the people you come across daily to speak through, to you. It is also important to remember that you do not know everything, so do not act like it. Admit when you are wrong and do not put others down, because they do not know something that you yourself know. You are not here to show the world how much you know, you are here to show God's love to others. When you come across a conflict, remember to never go to bed angry. Let go of your pride and bring reconciliation. I know it is hard to do sometimes, but it is the right thing to do and will give you a peace of mind.
Do not judge others, love them. Everyone has their faults and failures just as you have yours. Reflect on what you need to work on in your life, not what others need to work on.
Remember that people do not need to hear what you are against they need to see that you care and they need to see you act out of love.
You will get your heart broken a few times by someone you love the most, but let me tell you it is worth it. You will learn so many lessons from the relationship that you had and from the heart break you will experience. For the next time around keep this list as your guide:
Look for someone who;
Loves Jesus and puts God first
Is honest
Smart with their money
Wants to help and give to others
Not materialistic
Interested in what you do and wants to learn about what you do and what you like
Can have conversations about ideas and issues
Does not get frustrated with your constant questioning
Open to trying new things
Likes being outdoors
Likes to go do things and travel
Good at making decisions
Patient
Loves kids and people
Will help you grow as well as you helping them grow
Does not stick to set traditional roles, but works together as a team
Gets along with your family and friends
Eats healthy or willing to eat healthy
Loves you for who you are
Will do things that you like to do as well as what they like to do
Does not choose their friends over you
Open to moving places and not set and stuck on one place in the world
Likes to be silly and have fun with you!
You will go through a huge growth process in your life in which your morals, beliefs and lifestyle will be challenged. You will have experiences with doubt and confusion, but it is all just a part of the process. Let them happen, do not fight it.
As far as where you will end up, I have no idea. All I know is that God knows what he is doing so trust and follow him and worry no more. Look to him and he will guide you in the direction he wants you to go.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Proverbs 3:5&6
Do not get caught up in deadlines, grades, awards, money, bills, the to do list, goals, dreams, jobs, etc etc to the point that you worry your life away. Trusting God with these and coming to the realization that these should not be the focus of your life is the most freeing and stress relieving experience. So girl, let it all go!
And if there were only two pieces of advice that I could give you it would be these:
Do not worry and Love with all that you have.
Take these words and live by them:
Don't just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God's people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you. Don't curse them; pray that God will bless them. Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with each other. Don't be to proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don't think you know it all! Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all you can to live at peace with everyone. Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,
"I will take revenge;
I will pay them back,"
says the Lord.
Instead,
"If your enemies are hungry , feed them.
If they are thirsty , give them something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap
burning coals of shame on their heads."
Don't let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.
Romans 12:9-21
I know this is a lot to process, but i know you will take it all in and take it to heart. I'm excited to see the plans God has for you and to see how he will use you in this plan of his.
Keep on smiling, laughing and living life one day at a time.
Love,
You
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