Dear Kaley

My little sister had a birthday today and entered a new era: the twenties. I was so sad that I couldn't be there to celebrate with my family. I kept thinking of all the things I wanted to say to Kaley. So I decided to write her a letter. I discovered as I wrote it that I was also speaking it to myself and not just my sister. If this is what I want for her, I have to practice it myself.


Dear Kaley,

Welcome to the twenties! This next decade of your life will be an adventure, I can promise you that! It will bring new things to do, places to see, and people to meet. It will bring many questions and maybe not as many answers. It will bring change and maybe not much stability. It will bring experience and maybe more than you would want! It will be the end of some things and the beginning of so much more. It will shape you, scare you, push you, show you, grow you, and make you. It will bring big decisions and more things to think about; amazing opportunities and incredible excitement.

It will bring uncertainties. You will still try to figure out why you are here and where you are going. Your place in this world may seem impossible to determine and/or reach. But that only brings you to a deeper level of dependency on Your Savior. So rejoice! And rest in Him.

Don't try to keep it all together. Don't get distracted so much by the goal that you don't live in the process. Don't ever stop reaching for the stars. Don't forget who you are to Christ.

It will bring you more of Jesus. Because through it all, no matter how alone you are, He will be there. He will pick you up, dust you off, carry you on, hold your tears, cherish your laughter, strengthen your faith, and calm your fears. Make knowing Him the biggest goal, because that is where you will find the answers to all your difficult questions and where you can take all your biggest problems.

I haven't made it to the other side yet; I'm just beginning to wade through the mid-20s. But I wish I had started letting go sooner...and more willingly. Letting go of me and taking hold of Him. That's what I'm working on right now and it is a slow, painful process! I hope it's easier for you! So don't let it overwhelm you or discourage you, embrace it and let it mold you into the person God wants you to be. I will be working on it too!

"Many things will catch your eye, but very few will capture your heart. Pursue those."

Happy 20th Birthday, Kales! I love you!!
Lauren