Letter to Almost 20 Year old Sarah

One month from today, I will turn 30. So far, the thought of turning 30 honestly doesn’t bother me. I’ve been reminded lately of just how short life is, so each day I’m given, I consider a gift. However, I feel like the last ten years have past in a blink. And if I’d known then, what I know now….. so here is a letter to my 10 year ago self.

Dear Almost 20 Year Old Sarah,

You think things are tough right now, and they are somewhat difficult. You’re about to start your junior year of college and things really pick up then. You’ll be SO busy and it will be hectic, but don’t wish those days away. Savor those last two years. After that, never again will you see your best friends on a daily basis or live seconds away from them. You’ll remain friends with some of them, but as your lives go different directions, so will your friendships. Don’t worry so much on the getting through college, because you will. And you’ll do it well. Instead, live those days up. Have fun and skip class every once in a while. It’ll be ok if you do.

I wish I could tell you how much is ahead of you. Your 20’s will be filled with so many emotions, and they will range from devastation to pure elation. There are some of the happiest days of your life ahead, as well as the hardest days of your life. Know that no matter what comes, you WILL get through it. You are strong, and no matter how bad it seems at the time, you survive. You learn something with each challenge and you make yourself better because of them.

I know you wonder about what you’re going to do when you’re finished with college. Well, I’ll tell you. First, you’ll travel to Europe for two weeks with two of your best friends to see another best friend. It will be one of your most incredible experiences to date and you’ll LOVE it. You’ll then start working in a job where you’ll stay for 15 months. It will challenge you and will quite honestly be an awful situation by the time you leave, but it will teach you a lot and it will also give you some of your very best friends who you’re still friends with as you turn 30. Your next job will be much better and you’ll really grow professionally there. One thing I want you to remember is to work hard for yourself. Regardless of your achievements and failures, work in a way to make yourself proud. No matter what you do or where you work, you’ll experience highs and lows. And things won’t always go the way you might want them, and you may not always feel appreciated. So do what you can, work hard, and hold your head high knowing you’ve always done your very best.

After you finish college, you’ll start attending weddings as many of your friends marry their loves. And you wonder how you might possibly ever meet someone, let alone someone worthy of marrying. DON’T WORRY. By the time you graduate, you will have met the man you are going to marry, though you won’t have any clue you will marry him. About 4 months after you leave school, you two will start dating, and you will love like you’ve never known. Those broken hearts won’t matter anymore because your future husband is an amazing, loving man. He will love you like you never imagined possible and he will make you happier than you’ve ever been. Enjoy the ride and soak up every minute of your time together. Your wedding day will be perfect. As your 30th birthday approaches, so is your 7th anniversary and you’re even more in love than you were the day you got married. He makes your life infinitely better, and you’re so grateful for him.

In addition, when you turn 30, you’ll have two beautiful children, a girl and a boy. They will be your pride and joy. Your firstborn initiated you into parenthood quite well as she had a hard first few months of life. And your second born was born with a collapsed lung and was whisked away from you within minutes to be taken to the NICU where he would spend the first 10 days of his life. You worry about them constantly and love them so much you feel like your heart could burst. You know even at age 20 that you were made to be a mother, and you will experience that and it will be better than you ever dreamed.

Don’t sweat the small stuff. Every time you find yourself in a situation where you wonder how it will ever work out, God works out the details, big and small. You learn to trust Him more than ever through these years and you witness the way His love for is unfailing. Carry that faith with you through all your years.

Sarah, you have so much ahead of you. The struggles will be hard and there will be days you just feel like giving up, but know that you are a survivor. You are strong and you will persevere and you have so many days of happiness ahead of you. So many life changing events will come your way in your 20s and I hope you savor them along the way. The highs far, far outweigh the lows and you are blessed beyond belief, but you know that. Before you know it, another 10 years will have passed. And as good as your 20s will be, as you are about to leave those years behind, you know that what lies ahead will be even better!

Love,
Almost 30 Year Old Sarah