The truck rolled up big and white this morning. The crates were cracked open and inside rested a snipet of our lives from more than ten years ago. As the movers unpacked, I found myself yearning for a note. Something to bridge the gap between the woman who packed the crates, to the one who sat and watched it all unfold again. It was in that moment that I decided I would write one now instead.
Dearest Youthful Me,
I am amazed by you. To get on a plane and to leave everything you know takes strength. To do it with the passion and the open mindness that you had takes courage. I long to be more like you.
The journey you take with your family to Japan will change how you view the world forever. The culture will inspire you to know the world can be sweeter and more kind. The people you meet will believe in you and push you to reach dreams you can’t even dream yet. Your children will grow to know the world is a beautiful place, full of difference and learn to embrace and crave it. Your husband will teach you the meaning of unconditional love. You will grow. It will be beautiful. You will find yourself more at home with the Japanese culture than any other in this world. You will call it home for seven inspiring years. You will come away knowing yourself and your meaning in this world.
It doesn’t end there. Your family will follow on to Germany where you find refuge in an old village. You will learn the literal meaning of military family as you will be embraced by one of the best. Your heart will grow as you welcome another child into your life, one that you will never again imagine life without. You will be blessed with a German family that will love you as their own. You will travel the world and learn that your heart is centered when surrounded by old, weathered cities. You will grow to understand that life is what you make it. You will be tested and you will love deeper and more than ever before.
You will learn to live without the news. You will find pure peace in your world without the noise.
You will learn that possessions have no value. People, memories, and places do.
You will learn that the world is not mysterious. It is made up of people just like you. There are no boundaries. We are all the same.
You will learn to live your life by following your heart. That little voice, that gentle urge, the persistant thought is a map. Follow it anywhere and everywhere even if you do not understand. It will only lead you to where you are supposed to be.
I love you. Be strong. Be you.
Me
