A LETTER TO THE PAST ME...

Time for this week's Tuesday @ Ten, where we have a week to write on the prompt that Karen provides for us...

This week's prompt phrase is:  "If I Could Write a Letter to the Past Me..."

What would that sound like?  What would I say to myself?  Well, thinking on that for a bit -

But, first...THIS:

Found on Pinterest

Shared by npr.org

Below this photo, a comment was included from about a year ago:  "The lost art of letter writing should come back.  E-mails and texts are great when you have to send a quick message, but 'nothing, absolutely nothing beats a thick, creamy two pages of Crane paper, smothered with news and views, lovingly folded into a tissue-lined envelope.' "  - Lindy Woodhead

I totally agree with this comment!  {And, I wondered what "Crane paper" was; until I found a paper pad in my scrapbook stuff...I guess it's a paper company?!}

So, here goes a letter to myself!

Dear Me...{That sounds like a "woe is me" kind of opening for a letter to Myself; but, how else would I address "Me"?}

Looking back on life, I can think of a few things that I feel you should have done differently...

Perhaps I should not have stolen that "extra" candy bar when I was a child...

But, my parents made me go back to the store and tell them what I had done, and apologize!  This one instance in "stealing" taught me to be honest and to confront my wrong-doings!

Perhaps I should have done better in school; especially high school!

But, I was an average student, and did finish high school, receiving that long sought-after diploma...

Perhaps I should have attended more than one year of higher education!  My grandfather offered to pay my way through school; but I chose a one-year program in business instead of a four-year college.  I did not complete or graduate from the program...

But, those classes gave me the basics needed for a career in "business" - a clerical worker, secretary or administrative assistant...

And, wherever I worked, whatever field, I never stopped "learning"; attending college classes when I could; taking courses related to the industry in which I worked, like insurance or banking.

Perhaps I should not have attended those "parties" when I was a teenager...

But, I was having FUN; and the parties I attended were the non-alcoholic parties and were probably more fun than those with alcohol...

And, I had too much respect for myself, and my parents, to do anything "wrong"...

Perhaps I should have tried harder in that first marriage?  One child; another on the way...a husband who drank a little too much.  What was I to do?  Continue a life where I cried myself to sleep at night?  Continue raising two children with an alcoholic father; one who consistently "volunteered" to go overseas where his family was not allowed to go with him...

No, I couldn't see continuing that way; so, I ended it and moved away.

Yes, it was hard - for all of us...

But, I continued raising my two children; they (eventually) saw their father occasionally during the summer; I eventually re-married and had a third child...

Perhaps I did "jump into" another marriage too soon; and, we haven't had the smoothest of relationships...

But, all relationships have ups and downs; detours; road blocks; curves in the road...

And working together, they can be "mostly good"; and together can weather the bad times.

Perhaps I should have stayed in the "jobs" where I was happy and doing good, instead of striving for "something more"...

But, each move did bring "more money" and the way was paved by things I had learned at the previous job...

No, I just don't think these choices were necessarily bad ones!

What do I want to tell my "past me"?  Whatever choices you made "back then"...they helped me mature, grow up, know who I am and what I wanted out of life...

Whatever choices that may not have seemed the best at the time - they did eventually work out to be the best that could have been made...I don't have regrets for what choices were made in my past.  They were the choices that seemed best.

And, thanks to God, He made sure whatever choices I made worked into His Master Plan...

Because, I truly feel I am living in His Master Plan; doing what He has "trained" me to do.  I truly feel I am where He wants - needs - me to be; and here I will continue to be...

So, I'll end this letter saying is this: You did your best in preparing the way for the place I - or is that "we"? - am today!  And, I thank you for those choices!

You did good!!  My life has been in good hands...

Mine - but mostly HIS!!