As the season of your high school years comes to a close, I can’t help but wonder what memories will linger for you in these winds of change. For the past eighteen years, time has seemed to pass slowly, and yet all at once, and now the future is all yours to unfold.
As you take these final steps of childhood promise me these things
1. Promise me you will always remember
Remember the moments that seemed insignificant, just as vividly as the ones that seemed momentous. These are the foundation of you- how you have been built experience by experience, each one giving way to something that shaped your identity and made you whole.
2. Promise me that you will always know your worth
As life changes and challenges, and we are not necessarily right by your side to remind you, promise you will never forget your value. Forge a path you are proud of and stand tall in the face of adversity, never turning your back on the belief that you are a light in this world.
3. Promise me that you will follow your heart along with your head
As quickly as your childhood passed, so too will these years of young adulthood. You will blink and the decades that seem to pass so slowly, will have accumulated like a sandcastle of time, built right before your eyes without even realizing its magnitude until you pause for a moment to look back.
As important as it is to keep a solid head on your shoulders, it’s also important to let your heart guide you along the way. Fill your life with adventures, with love, with people who encourage you to live the life you’ve always imagined for yourself.
4. Promise me that you will grow in the darkness and look for the light
The rain doesn’t always bring rainbows that shine through the clouds, but they are always in there somewhere. When things get hard-as you know they do-remember to look for the cracks of light.
No matter how dark the storm gets, there will always be hope on the other side. There will be moments that test you beyond your comprehension. In these times, remember that you will need to bend, but you do not need to break.
5. Promise me that you will remember you can always come home
Remember the laughter that rang in our house, just as vividly as the moments that made you crave the independence you now have. Remember that the door is always open.
Your bed is always waiting. You can always come home. For a weekend. For a month. For as long as you need.
6. Promise me that you will embrace rejection
Remember to look at rejection as redirection. A route to something that, while different than you imagined, could be the best thing that ever happened to you.
Rejection is a piece of the puzzle of life. It isn’t always clear how important it is, until the entire picture is in place. Hold space for rejection and see it as a part of the whole and let it help you grow into new beginnings.
7. Promise me, you will always remember how loved you are
While I know I will always be your mom, no matter how old you are,I also know this is the end of something for us and the beginning of something new for you. It is all the things it’s supposed to be, yet so difficult to comprehend. And at the root of it all lies love.
No matter where you are, where you go, where you stay- you are loved. Through the highs and lows, successes and stumbles, peaks and valleys of life. When all else seems lost, remember you’re loved.
So as you head off on your next great adventure, promise me these things. And, most importantly, remember, I always taught you to keep your promises.
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