This is high school me.

40 short years ago.

Unsure about what was next.
Scared to grow up and uncertain if I was enough.
Sad for that chapter to end.
Not sure if I was ready to leave my parents.

I wish she knew not to worry
because the life she builds is a good one.
And the people she surrounds herself with are even better.

I wish she knew she doesn’t have to have it all figured out.
That becoming happens slowly.
That strength shows up when it’s needed.
That love finds her in ways she never expected.
That she would find her worth and know she was enough.

I wish she knew that the boys she cried over weren’t worth her tears,
and that the man who would win her heart was worth waiting for.

I wish she knew that becoming a parent would be the best decision she ever made, and that even though life changes, we never truly leave our parents.

I wish she knew that the ache of leaving home is really just love learning how to stretch— and that it stretches both ways, forever.

And that one day, she’ll look back at this version of herself with so much love and compassion…
and quietly whisper,
You did better than you ever imagined.
💛💛💛