dear nelle… {age 16}
a letter to my younger self
dear nelle,
be open to the world – it’s a big and wonderful place.
but always remember this very special place of farms, family, and faith.
enjoy your time with these special, special people
they will be dear friends for life
and will always be there for you
especially during the hardest times of your life
times when your heart feels shattered.
and during joyous ones as well
especially during your engagement {yay!!}
they will rock by sending letters, cards, gifts, encouragement, advice, and love.
it will blow you away.
they will travel far to celebrate your bachelorette weekend in savannah
as always- they will be there.
-strong morals, values, and so much love to always give-
don’t sit around and talk about others all the time
remember your roots
remember your true friends
and love on them.
enjoy these simple moments
cruising on back roads- windows down- old country music blaring
{p.s: never be ashamed for loving this music! it’s a part of who you are.}
bonfires, partying next to cows, boating on the lake, games in basements & barns
you will always cherish these times in the future; while in responsible ‘adult mode’.
take them all in.
you will choose the perfect college for you
trust God has the ultimate plan
set boundaries and guard your heart
only let people close to you that respect you
choose more wisely
you should probably pass on messy high school dating
but you won’t realize this until your mid 20’s
{or at age 30 when your really good guy friend confirms this at a wedding}
and at this point- you both just laugh.
{you don’t always know best}
…listen to advice…
and be less naïve 🙂
{well, try to be- it’s in your nature forever i’m afraid.}
it is alright to be single
you will not be lonely.
no really- you won’t be lonely.
but instead, will be so in touch with you.
you will learn your true beauty
not through someone else
but through you.
you get much better at these decisions after high school
in fact, you will be blessed with three very meaningful;
‘bawl on the bathroom floor’
when you are hurting and heartbroken
intimate relationships
you are very lucky.
some people never get to experience even one of these types of relationships in life
treat them all kindly and with respect.
they deserve it
be grateful for everything they bring into your life.
everything has a reason and a purpose.
to walk away and not have anything negative to say
with not one- but two- of these relationships
is rare.
but most importantly,
…be patient…
{photo via}
the third one will be the charm. <3
worth the wait
and so very special.
you won’t be married at 22
no kids by 25
-or even 30-
and that’s ok.
however, you dream about motherhood
and just like when you were a little girl
it is still your ultimate calling and wish for this one life;
always yearning for this priceless adventure.
you will see the world
you will take it all in.
you will enjoy your 20’s– so much.
they may be different from what you imagine now
growth
change
diversity
self-awareness
are all on the horizon
are all on the horizon
an intense re-connection with your faith
the importance of taking risks
the importance of taking risks
and lots of laughter.
you will find your ideal city; a new home.
always follow your dreams-
keep flying.
be open to new experiences
anxiety will get the best of you in college
sometimes it will affect you in the worst ways
take deep breaths
go on road trips often
to the beach, to columbus for football games, to concerts, to cafes
as much as you can.
laugh with close friends until your sides hurt
-soak up this time-
most of these people will be your forever friends.
you will travel out of the country and will absolutely love it
you will dream about going back- all the time.
in your late 20’s, you will become independent
you eventually learn the importance of staying open-minded- always.
i encourage you to spend more time with God now.
pray to him, confide in him, make time for him.
you will become more calm
more confident
and more outgoing
-you will begin to love yourself-
take walks, practice yoga, eat healthier, take on new adventures
run-
you can run!!
in fact, you will run at least two half marathons
with others’ intentions in mind
and will feel so rewarded.
moral of this: don’t ever let others tell you what you can and can’t do.
you will make it
you will be happy and proud
you will begin to stand up for yourself.
{this is hard for you- but you deserve it.}
you sometimes feel very discouraged and stressed as a young woman
-you are way too young for that-
way too young.
and you know what?
you are beautiful
{even though you do not see this}
just like the world around you
so be nicer to yourself
you have your grandmas’ kind hearts
your grandpas’ perseverance
your mom’s generosity
your dad’s work ethic
your sister’s spunk and spirit
your brother’s personable energy
your aunts’ strong love
your uncles’ humor
the closeness of your cousins
{and a cute, thoughtful, and loving man, who will enter your life at 27}
so worry less and live in the moments with loved ones
you will survive
and will love
so much.
xo
if you could write a letter to your future or past self
what would you say?
…
proud to be joining
brave love blog’s blog-tember challenge!
Comments (19)
ksturwold
February 12, 2015 at 2:15 pm
You're such an inspiration! Love you!
nelle monaco
February 12, 2015 at 5:56 pm
awe- thank you, love! love you with all my heart. xo
Robyn B
February 12, 2015 at 6:47 pm
such beautiful words 🙂 and such an encouragement as well!! it's so cool that life doesn't work out how we imagined… but it works out better! 🙂 if we only knew that then!
nelle monaco
February 12, 2015 at 10:54 pm
thank you so much! so glad and so true… it often does! if only… <3
Kiki
February 13, 2015 at 1:45 am
Wow (and amen!). I am completely blown away by the beauty in your writing and the wisdom and truths written throughout this entire letter/post. So many great things to remember about life and about faith and relationships. So many things I need to remind myself of, too! 🙂
Thanks for linking up!
nelle monaco
February 13, 2015 at 4:10 pm
awe- thank you so much, Kiki, you inspired me to write this and i am so glad i was able to… i appreciate it. love the circle. your comment means a lot to me! 🙂 hope you had a great week ♥
Joey Hodges
February 13, 2015 at 3:52 pm
I absolutely love this. Especially the "you don't always know best." I swear in my younger years I thought I was the end all be all of "what was right for me." Turns out, I was wrong on more than one occasion. Thanks for linking up, girlfriend!
nelle monaco
February 13, 2015 at 4:11 pm
thank you so much, joey! this means a lot … and boy is this true. teenagers know best. 🙂 you are so welcome and your comment means a lot to me. have a great weekend ♥
Unknown
February 13, 2015 at 10:11 pm
This is absolutely beautiful. Your heart and words are so skillfully crafted… breath-taking!
Thanks for sharing and for linking up to the #SHINEbloghop.
Wishing you a lovely weekend.
xoxo
nelle monaco
February 14, 2015 at 3:31 pm
awe- thank you so much! this is so sweet and i really appreciate it. thank you so much for hosting! have a great weekend, too! xo
Kelly Daniel
February 14, 2015 at 4:35 pm
This letter was so beautifully written and I enjoyed reading it SO much! You have a way with words and I love how to the point you are. So many things I can relate to you in your letter and just thank you for sharing 🙂
Kelly
theprimarilyinspired.com
nelle monaco
February 16, 2015 at 4:56 am
awe- thank you so very much! i really appreciate it. it was hard to write but also felt really good. you are so welcome and thank YOU for stopping in … this means a lot to me. xo
Tawnya Faust
February 14, 2015 at 6:19 pm
Thank you so much for linking up on the Saturday Spotlight! This is absolutely beautiful 🙂 it's amazing how much we can see in hindsight eh? I love reflecting on my life like this… You've inspired me to write something similar in my journal! Xoxo
nelle monaco
February 16, 2015 at 4:57 am
🙂 thank you so much! and yes, so amazing. if only we could read these letters in advance- but then the growth and moments of self discovery wouldn't be there. i love the saturday spotlight <3
Katherines Corner
February 15, 2015 at 5:32 pm
This is beautiful and written by a soul blessed with love. Thank you for sharing at the Thursday Favorite Things blog hop! Watch for your feature on Monday xo
nelle monaco
February 16, 2015 at 4:58 am
awe- THANK YOU SO MUCH! i really appreciate this … it means a lot to me. you are so sweet. your comment really, really means a lot. thank you again! xo
Iulia Gulia @ Best of Baby
February 17, 2015 at 2:23 am
Nelle I just love your posts (and your blog…and the sweet comments you leave on my blog – thank you!) And thank you so much for sharing this on the Ladies Collective Linkup. Pinning this to our board! Hope to see you again Wednesday at bestofbabylady.com 🙂
nelle monaco
February 17, 2015 at 5:32 am
awe- you are so sweet! thank you so, so much. it means a lot to me! i also LOVE your blog so much- you are an inspiration to me. have a great week and i plan to link-up often… xo
Kels @ BlonderSide
February 19, 2015 at 1:41 pm
Oh wow, I loved your letter! I especially related to the part where you told yourself to trust in God. Looking back I can see all the wonderful blessings his given me and definitely guided my where I needed to go, but at the time sometimes I forget to be trusting and grateful. Beautiful!
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