Monday, May 2, 2011

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

11 comments:

  1. Your post is super sweet. "I Can Only Imagine" is a great song too! :)

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  2. I'm sitting at work crying!! Gosh that sounds just like the letter I would write myself! How funny how a few years gives us sooo much more perspective!! Life is so funny and it can change in an instant!!! Thank you for being a great friend!

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  3. I love this savannah!... I really learn sooo much from u!.. this is a very sweet blog post!..

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  4. GREAT letter! If only we were able to tell our younger selves a thing or two :)

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  5. What a great letter! Isn't it crazy how much we grow up, without even realizing it? I found your blog through your little miss momma comments. ;)

    http://lifelovesleah.blogspot.com

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  6. This post totally moved me I don't know if it is because it is kinda an emotional time for me lately or because I can relate to a lot for what you said. Thank you for sharing. YOU are an inspiration to me girl!

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  7. What a great letter! Following you from the Good Friends Just Click hop, look forward to your future posts! You can find me at

    http://wvfrugal-wvsaver.blogspot.com/

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  8. oh my little Suki, I truly feel blessed to have been a part of your "back then". I would say a lot of the same things to myself but knowing my 16 year old self I wouldn't have listened ;) It's such a joy to read your blog and see what an amazing woman you've become!

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  9. Oh, how lovely! You've inspired me!!

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  10. It's amazing how much changes in life, isn't it. This was awesome! Thanks for sharing!

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  11. This is beautiful and brought tears to my eyes...

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