A Letter to Our Graduating Senior - Class of 2015

 

Dear Emma,

You did it, you finished High School!

You may hear or read all sorts of  advice and thoughts and inspirational speeches in the next few days and weeks, and while many of those words will be true and worth listening to, I want to offer my own.

Because I know you.  I have known you for eighteen years (about 18 yrs, 2 mos, 2 weeks...but who's counting). 

As you begin the next leg of your journey, please keep a few things in mind.

** There will be a test - of sorts - each day as you process your tasks, your thoughts, your accomplishments and yes, failures... **

Grade your test with grace. Know that each and every day will have challenges, victories and defeats and that's okay.  You may not get - no - you won't get all of the answers right.  There is only One Who holds all of the right answers.  But your comfort comes from knowing Him and how to get in touch with Him.

Be brave. 

• Joshua 1:9 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
• “Don't be afraid of your fears. They're not there to scare you. They're there to let you know that something is worth it.” ― C. JoyBell C. 
• “It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed.”― Theodore Roosevelt   
•  “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” ― Nelson Mandela

Make friends - with yourself and others.  Some friendships will keep for a very long time.  Some will be for a season.  They will all help you discover new things about others and yourself.
Don't grade others' tests.  Help them study, encourage them, but let them grade their own.

Enjoy your journey!  We don't know how many days we will be given.  Enjoy each morning, noonday and evening.  Stand in awe of sunrises and sunsets, ocean waves and mountain majesties.  You know Who created them, and more than that, He knows YOU!  That alone is cause for rejoicing!

Be grateful.  Each day has so many opportunities to show gratitude; someone holding a door for you, serving you a meal, sharing your joy or sorrow...  Be sure to share your gratitude with these fellow travelers, and allow your heart to truly be thankful to the One Who gives every good and perfect thing.

There are plenty of other bits and thoughts I could share, but this is enough for now.  These are the things I want you to think on often, so that they would become not thoughts, but a way of living.  Not things to have to remember, but things that are your natural response to happenings.

Oh, just one more thing... Remember we love you!  No matter where you are, how your day is going, who listens or doesn't listen to you, we are here if you need to vent, to talk through an issue, to (try to) answer a question, to share good or bad news...  Just call or text...  :)