Letter to 16 year old me

I think I have said it before but I have to say it again! I LOVE Ashley over at Little Miss Momma, She is an inspiration to me and I adore her honesty and fearlessness.

She wrote a post about what she would say to her 16 year old self, and it got me thinking....

What do I wish I could have known at 16 that I know now?

So here is my letter to 16 year old Savannah:

(That's me in the blue uniform)

Oh Savannah, this is only the beginning,

these will be the simplest times in your life but with that said

Always remember who you are,  I know it sounds cliche and dumb now but its very important not to loose your self in "teenage hood"

You will learn so many things along this journey, I know you think life is crazy now but just wait, wait until you learn about real LOVE

wait until you learn about real LIFE after high school

wait until you learn what LOSS feels like

and wait until you find your own FAITH

I remember the "dream" the dream that I would find my prince on his white horse someday and he would come rescue me and sweep me off into the sunset...

I would tell you that this dream isn't real, not to be a downer, but life throws us curve balls and we quickly learn to swerve.

I mean you will find your prince but it wont be like you "pictured" it to be.

Don't forget your family, you will look back someday and you wont be able to remember what it was like to watch your little brothers grow up and what they liked to do. You will feel so selfish that you weren't "involved" in their growing up.

(me and my little brother)

I will have to say that nothing you do in High school will determine who you will become,

those stupid fights with girlfriends

those first dates

your first failing grade

your best friend switching schools (which felt like the end of the world) 

None of this will matter after high school, you and your BFF will still be BFF's! 

you wont even remember your first dates

you wont care that you never fit in.

in Fact, you will be relieved that you never have to go back to be 16.

But, there will also be days that you will never forget

like Freshman year on your way to seminary when the twin towers fell,  and for the first time you realized that this world is in a lot of danger.

There will be the day when you find out that your swimming buddy will be diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor and you will loose her shortly later, but you will always remember her courageous fight and the first time you ever heard the song "I can only imagine" by Mercy Me at her "early graduation" and it was that day you realized she gets to meet God and you will be grateful for your faith system

You will remember the countless swim meets and the life lessons it taught you, 

like determination, 

failure,

hope, 

and the life long friendships you established

 (Thats me on the far right in the swim cap and goggles on my head)

One more thing, 

soak it all up, 

be a little more involved, 

hang on tighter

don't worry so much about the future

don't worry about what people think of you!

live for here and now

and hang on tight, its going to be one wild ride

EVERYTHING is going to turn out just fine, and one of these days you will learn to be grateful they turned out the way they did!

Oh, and one last thing, someday when you meet your son, your whole world will make sense and that

"real love" stuff I was telling you about will come into play

everything you worked so hard for will pay off!

Love, 

24 year old Savannah