This picture is obviously of me. I didn’t know it existed until about a year ago when a cousin of mine texted it to me. After the few seconds it took to register who the little girl was, my eyes welled up with tears, remembering myself at that age. I’m pretty sure I was about 5 or 6, and before a life-changing accident my paternal grandmother and I were fortunate victims of. I say fortunate because the drunken sailor that hit us was riding a motorcycle and not driving a car. But that’s a story for another day and one I likely won’t tell. So back to my reaction. It’s kind of hard to explain but it feels easier right now if I tell it in 3rd person, so I’ll call myself she and her (my ONLY pronoun by the way 🙂 See, she has no idea how her life is about to change. The physical pain she’ll have to endure, the boredom of a hospital, the longing to go home an be with her family, especially her grandma (who was also very hurt in the accident. Her grandma’s life changed as much, if not more.) The missing of almost an entire year of school and then start at a new one, not knowing anyone. How this accident will affect everything about her body and movement for the rest of her life (I guess I’m telling the story a little.) But there’s more that would happen too, aside from the accident. Life’s not the same for every child. I can say this: Things could have been a lot better but things also could have been a lot worse too. Still, I was blessed with some amazing family members. So, if I could go back in time and sit with her right that picnic table bench, I would say this to her:

1. You’re going to be the victim of a pretty bad accident and it will be life-changing. But after you’ve healed the best you can, DO NOT be afraid of your body. It’s not the enemy. You yourself can strengthen it. Don’t let the accident keep it from its full potential.
2. Take those piano lessons your grandma will ask you to take. You’re not too cool but it’s very cool to know how to play an instrument and it will serve you well some day.
3. Care about your education more than just finishing high school. Get college math out of the way early and you’ll get it done. It will be so much cheaper in the early 90’s than in the 2000s and beyond.
4. Start saving money for a home as soon as you start working. Every dollar will count when you buy your first home.
5. You will chose well for marriage and you will have beautiful, healthy, bright, hard-working children. Don’t beat yourself up about stuff.
6. Every season of your life will have beautifully blessed days and painful dark days as well, but God will never leave you. You can count on his love and guidance, patience and understanding. Rely on Matthew 6:34 always. Don’t wait till you have gray hair to do it.
7. You’re going to be just fine.