Dear Mickey,
Not a blast from the past, but a voice from your future. Don't freak...you're not losing your mind. It's still intact at the ripe, old age of forty-two. And don't be mean...forty-two is NOT all that old. It's older than where you are right now and it seems like it's so far away, but trust me, the years are going to pass by in a blink.
I guess the first thing I want you to know is that Amy grows up to be an AMAZING woman. Right now, she's a pest and a pain. That's what she's supposed to be...she's your little sister. Cut her a break. She turns out to be way cooler than you ever thought about being. Your lives will go different directions and take you different places. You're going to miss not having her around. She doesn't need you to mother her any more...she needs you to be her sister.
Have you met Frenchy, yet? If you haven't, you're about to have your first "real" high school romance. He's a sweet boy, pretty brown eyes...goofy sense of humor. The summer between 9th and 10th grade is going to be amazing! He'll take you to Homecoming and you'll buy the most beautiful red dress....you will always love that dress...even slightly more than your wedding dress. At the Christmas choir concert, he's going to sit next to Mama singing the Latin words to "O Come All Ye Faithful." Don't worry, it's just preparing her for greater weirdness from the boy you end up marrying. No, it's not Frenchy. I know...you'll have all these grand plans about the life the two of you will have. Your dream wedding is like a rainbow hued band geek extravaganza. You haven't exactly figured out your sense of style, so it's okay. Your heart is going to get broken and it's going to feel like the end of the world, like you'll never love anyone else...and the pain goes deep. I'm so sorry. Six months is a long time for a teen aged romance. I PROMISE...you'll get over him and when y'all cross paths in the future, you can't help but smile.
Be slower to speak. THINK, honey, about what you say before you say it. If you think it might be hurtful, don't say it. We all have our struggles and crosses to bear...yours is your mouth. Walk away from conversations that are destructive. Be the one who goes the extra mile to speak words of encouragement. You have situations ahead of you that will be SO much better if you just keep your mouth closed.
Don't be so quick to judge based on outward appearance. What's inside truly is what's most important.
Go easy on Mama. She's got a tough job, raising you and Amy by herself. You won't understand this until you have your own children. She's going to make mistakes. She's human. She loves you and wants your life to be the best that it can be. In a few years, she's going to meet a man who will love her and take care of her and treat her better than any man ever has. He's a goober, but he makes her so happy and changes her life for the better.
Enjoy every moment that you get to spend with Granny and Papa and Aunt Jewell. Listen to what they tell you. Tell them you love them as often as you can. They won't be around forever and you will miss them terribly when they are gone.
You don't have all the answers. You don't have to have all the answers. At forty-two, there are still things that you won't understand and it's ok. Listen to the people around you. Don't be afraid to ask for help.
Please pay attention during POD, when Mr. Hodges is trying to teach you how to file your tax forms. Flirting with DrummerBoy seems like fun, now, but if anything ever happens to your husband, the taxes will have to be outsourced to an accountant. Waste of money, silly girl.
Yes...you DO get married and yes, you do have children. Just two...not the twelve children your classmates predict you'll have...two boys. I know, right? Sons! Not girls! You figure it out and have the best time being their mama. The fellow you're going to marry comes in out of the blue and your courtship is anything but ordinary. He's amazing...funny, smart, goofy, kind and generous. You're going to have great adventures. There will be some bumps along the way, but your love for each other runs deep and it's not easily shaken.
Fold and put away your laundry as soon as it comes out of the dryer. Just do it. Make a habit of it. Let laundry baskets full of clean clothes be a bother and eyesore to you. Trust me, you'll thank me later.
Take Spanish, not French. I know, it doesn't sound as glamorous, but it will be so much more useful to you! The French comes in handy once...just once...you are able to order a croissant and medium cafe au lait at DeGaulle airport. And yes...you will visit DeGaulle airport...but you're just going to have to wait and see.
No, you never get invited to the crazy weekend parties...the ones with no parental supervision that always seem to end with someone barfing in the washing machine. But that's ok. Can you imagine what Sharon would do to you if you went to one of those parties? She chased you and Hoots through Woodrow Wilson playground and later, whooped you with a flip-flop...just for breaking curfew. Trust me...it's not worth the risk.
No matter how ordinary or invisible you feel, I want you to know that you are beautiful and anything but ordinary. God made you to His specific design. You are an intentional, purposeful work of art.
Take care of yourself...don't forget to laugh.
Love,
Michelle
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