Jerra,
Have you ever heard of a sinking ship?
Whether it is a teeny tiny hole in the bottom of a boat, or one that capsizes like the mushy gushy chick flick, Titantic.
Sinking.
Right now you feel far from it.
You've got your boat packed up, theoretically and literally, you're ready to shove your ship out into the ocean on your own, and there is nothing wrong with this.
Right now, you tell everyone that you don't think much will change when you turn 18. Why would you want it to change when it feels like you have everything..? An amazing family, team, good friends, a cute boyfriend, an great job, every teenage girl's dream.
But promise me when it does...decide to change for the better....you won't be scared.
Your next chapter is only beginning.
Jerra, you don't know it yet, but your boat is going to hit rock bottom just a mile from shore. It's a hole that is going to feel too big to fix on your own. At first you're not going to like this new chapter, but you just have to trust me. I know it's unexpected, but you will to make it through this, I PROMISE.
Day by day, you're going to dump out bucket by bucket, the water that fills your ship, and I can't promise you that each bucket is going to be easy. But that isn't your time to throw up a white flag.
You are going to lose your compass, completely drop it in the ocean. Now you're lost, there's nothing here to point you in the right direction, that's when you just have to follow your heart. Even when it hurts.
While you sit there, stranded in the middle of the ocean, and you're going to look up into the sky, your world will feel as if it's stopped turning. But this earth will continue to turn just as slow as it did the day before. Keep going.
Your are so strong, I know you don't get told that everyday. These moments are going to show you just how much you can take. Your going to be stranded for a little while. But everyday, your going to pick yourself and learn something new. Not everyone makes it when they are stranded in the ocean alone, but you are going to THRIVE.
You're going to fix the bottom of that ship of yours, you are going to learn to fish, and tell direction from the stars above you. You're going to get out there in the ocean again, and find your own way around.
You'll travel from island to island and enjoy every minute. You are going to meet people from each one, and each one will teach you something different. You'll grow closer to the people that matter, and gain new ones along the way.
This is YOUR journey now, your the captain.
Love,
the person you are yet to be
