February 21, 2008
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a letter to my 17 year old self
Featured_Grownups topic is write a letter to your 17 year old self.
I never tend to do these things, but I thought this morning…ok why not….so here it is……
Dear Seventeen year old self. I know you feel like you have a hard time fitting in and don’t know where you belong. Don’t worry about it. Just accept yourself for who you are. Don’t worry what anyone else thinks.
I know you are in love with Barry. It turns out great. If you think he is wonderful now just wait until you have been married for over 7 years and have 3 children. He is wonderful. You will be so happy that you have stuck with him.
It doesn’t matter what other people think.
Soon you will discover the world of internet and computer. You will find out that it is a cool thing and not evil like you were taught growing up. You will make many friends online. Don’t worry about the haters.
Make sure you send plenty of time with granny these next 9 years. (you will but try to do it even more) She wont be around forever. Try to connect with your mom’s side of the family or you will look back in 9 years and still wish that you had relatives to call your own, that you could talk with and have a cool “family relationship” with like so many people seem to have. Try now or you will spend years wishing you had family relatives that you could hang out with to and will end up saying to aunts and uncles at funerals that they should keep in touch all the while knowing that they wont. And will end up only really knowing your cousins by reading their blogs. (I love you guys though. Its nothing against you if your guys are reading this.) Try now because if you wait until granny isnt here anymore there will be nothing holding them in contact with you.
Your mother will contact you in a few months… for the first time in years. So don’t be shocked.
Stop trying so hard to have a father daughter relationship with your father. Just let it go and move on. It will never happen no matter how hard you try and to just keep trying over and over is just setting yourself up to be hurt and disappointed time and time again. And he will only call when he wants something. Just move on.
Above all just remember that God loves you and that is the most important thing. It doesn’t matter what other people say, Just trust God and lean on Him and He will take care of you.
Remember Barry and Grandpa and Grandma Martin Love you no matter what.
Love and God bless
your 26 year old self
Comments (29)
A combination of sweet and sour in this letter of advice. Why is it sometimes so difficult to rebuild relationships with family members?
@Zeal4living - the problem is not so much rebuilding it is building in the first place as it was never there to start with. they were not there when I was growing up.
Family is such a very complex thing, relationships, in general seem, to be this way. I often wish I could change things that I can’t, and slowly I am learning that regardless of others I have a responsibility to reach out and love and care. Sometimes it would seem easier to just “live my own life” yet, in my heart I know that this is not what I truly want. I know we live so very far away that “hanging out together” isn’t something that is possible and learning to truly know each other is difficult. Just want you to know that it has been meaningful to me to “learn to know” a bit during the last 4-5 months. Thank you for your friendship! – your cousin in SC
this is a great entry.I may “steal” the idea to do for myslef
@duaneleann - it has been nice reading your blog and commenting on it too and getting to know you.
I hope to continue that
God bless
Love your cousin
Kristen
@javamommy - I would love to read it if you do
I think it would be an interesting thing for everyone to do
@Kristenmomof3 - lol o hjust thinking about me at 17.yeah i will be posting ina bit i also subscribed to that site so i can get more writing ideas
Such good advice!
)
@carpuzzi_kiki - thank you
thanks, i appreciate it. this is a cool idea to write about.
I love this letter. Such wonderful advice here. Family relationships can be so difficult sometimes. Thank you for your comments, by the way. I hope you don’t mind if I subscribe to you, I love your site.
@FaithOfALittleSeed - I dont mind at all
That is a wonderful letter…wow…I would really have to think about that one.
Family relationships are sooooooooooo hard…..still working on that one….
Have a great day in Jesus, Kristen
Wow, how shiny is this?! Great job!
@mourning2dancing - yup lol see all the shiny happy people lol
Charming!
Sweet!
I don’t even want to go there with a letter to myself…..
Thank you for participating!
Wonderful letter!
very nicely put
Lovely sentiments…..
Wow! Don’t you wish someitmes that you had been able to write this letter BEFORE you turned 17???
Nice to meet you! Feel free to stop by my site, too! God bless!
I liked the fact that you touched on your familial relationships. It seems like no matter how much they damage us, they are the hardest to let go or accept.
This line in your entry
‘It doesn’t matter what other people think’, straight away caught me eye and I agree it does not matter what other people think.
This is a great entry.
It really doesn’t matter what others think, but at 17, I think most of us thought it did. . .too bad our parents weren’t able to instill that into us!~Jeri
Excellent letter…
how beautiful … if we could all just remember that God loves us.
Family relationships are so difficult. Good advice to just move on, but hard to take. For some reason letting go of family always seems to be the most difficult. Great letter.
that was a nice letter.. i especially like the part with you and your husband & children.