Dear Audrey,

Now it may seem as though the world is against you.

The odds stacked so high—not in your favor,

the scale has toppled over.

I wish

I could prepare you for it all.

The broken hearts, confused boys,

The sweet spur of the moments that fulfill your heart and soul

The empty spots full of holes,

The struggle, pain, stress, and confusion.

Everything.

But if I did, it would make every excruciating moment

irrelevant.

However, I will tell you this:

 

There will come times where

the pain may feel too heavy for your heart.

Do not give up.

 

Quiet mornings

that you spend by yourself

stuck in a deep pool of contemplation,

know you are not alone. You will not drown.

In moments of desperation and hopelessness, know that

You are strong, it’s in your blood.

You are stronger than you think.

Your family forged in the cross fire of pain and hatred

only to rise up like roses from concrete.

Full of determined women and men who strived for greatness,

to help you

get to where you want to be.

If you can not do it for yourself,

do it for them.

The people who care, love, and support you.

You can handle things you may never imagine to be possible.

You can.

You will.

Never forget your roots.

One day you will bloom

Confidence radiating from your core

not just your skin, you will be proud.

 

The afternoons

that seem like minutes turned into years,

and every second lasts forever.

Stuck in time, frozen clocks and classes that never end.

You can make it through and you will learn.

Have patience.

 

The nights

where you choose to watch hours

of random videos on the internet

instead of finishing your homework,

that will happen a lot,

and I pray you will learn at some point.

 

And when those long nights turn into day.

The sun will break the horizon,

remember that moment.

Remember the friends,

the sweet moments and the thing that fill you with happiness

the same way the light fills the world.

In moments of pure happiness and bliss,

take the time to recognize every obscure detail.

Notice the feeling and fall into it’s sweet embrace.

Surround yourself in the bittersweet nostalgia.

Be grateful.

Be thankful.

And tell people you love them.

 

Lastly, do not compare yourself to anyone,

you’re your own person.

And most of all

the person you are,

and the person you are becoming...

is worth being proud of.

 

-A.R.