"The Letter" is a meme created by Malach the Merciless, and involves writing a letter to one's 13 year old self. This tag was passed to me by Kitty @ Kitty's Bloggy Bits and is probably one of the most interesting meme's I've ever encountered. So here we go....
Dear Dawn,
You are such a sad child. Would you believe me if I told you that this too shall pass?
Now, about the acne... stop worrying...it will clear up. And yes, boys will want to date you. That debilitating shyness you suffer from will be a thing of the past. In fact, there will be times when you'll wish you had kept your mouth shut. (Hard to believe right now... but trust me on this one!)
Unfortunately your people pleasing attitude will take a little longer to change. People will use and abuse you for quite a number of years before you finally learn to say "no".... but you will get there.
You will love and you will be loved. You will have your heart broken and break a few along the way. You will discover there are many forms of love... the love of a man and your family... but nothing will prepare you for the love you'll have for your only child.
You know how Dad is always saying, "what doesn't kill you will only make you stronger"? You may think he's crazy now, but they'll be the words you'll live by. It saddens me to tell you that you'll suffer the loss of five family members - three of which will be in a short space of time. With each passing you will find an inner strength that you didn't know you possessed and you will move on. But with the devastation of that fifth beloved... you will stumble and fall. Your soul will be filled with a darkness and rage unlike anything you have ever known. It is during this time that an idea to start a blog will spark and you will name it 'Totally Pissed Off'... a name you will live to regret. As the months pass you will discover the same emptiness, pain and utter loneliness echoed back to you in the words of other bloggers and you will come to understand that you were never alone.
I can't promise life will always be easy but I can say that you will find joy and laughter in the strangest of places. Your sense of humor... (odd as it may be) will see you through many of the rough spots. You will find yourself seeking out the company of those who "get you" and can make you laugh. As cliche as it sounds...laughter really is the best medicine! You are so much stronger than you know... but you'll have to discover that for yourself.
One more thing... I know Mom is telling you to stop worrying about your size and that you aren't finished growing yet. Sorry... you'll be lucky if you gain another inch in height... and as for the boob thing... well let's just say she was wrong about that too ;) On the upside you discovered it really didn't matter anyway.
Take care Dawn... I'll see you in a few years!
Much Love,
Your Future Self
I'd like to pass this tag along (with no obligation to play) to:
Barbara
Jodi
Meleah
Pool
Middle of the Road
4 hours ago

























22 people said...:
well written Dawn and very insightful.. it walked me through some of your life...I'm glad that sadness has abated somewhat .. and your right you are never really alone even if you want to be for a short time..be proud of your child and the love you feel for her is something special...furthermore the boob thing is over rated anyway...:):):)
I just knew you'd make a brilliant job of this meme. Thank you for sharing - I really enjoyed reading it. Did you find it as oddly therapeutic as I did?
You look after yourself. :-) x
wow Dawn, what a beautiful post, thank you for sharing this.
It may sound strange, but reading your letter gives me some strength to deal with my own 'moments of darkness'.. thanks so much for that!
'Nothing will prepare you for the love you'll have for your only child'.
Same here..
And indeed, this is a really interesting and insightful meme!
Excellent post, Dawn, it brought up memories of my own misspent youth. I may be a guy, but I had to worry about the "boob thing" too, but for a different reason! Tar Heel Ramblings:0)
Thanks Robert. My daughter is the light of my life and she lifts my spirit in a way that no one else can.
Thanks Kitty.. and yes it was very therapeutic even though I was skeptical all the way through it. Took a deep breath and hit the publish button! Done. :-)
Can't wait to read Robert's version!
Ellen - Thanks so much for your kind words. If I've connected with you on some level then it proves my point that bloggers do indeed help each other even when they are unaware that it is happening...
Thanks so much for stopping by :)
LOL.. thanks Lee! As I said... I find myself seeking out the company of those who can make me laugh! You are one of a kind :))
lol this must have spread a lot!
i've been seeing it everywhere!
I absolutely LOVE this post...and I am thrilled to do this meme.
Thanks for including me
xxoo
Wow. I think this would be a good exercise for any of us. Its awesome to see the woman you are today and that you endured and grew strong from many of your challenges. Thanks for sharing this. I will be working on mine!
I am glad you enjoyed this meme. I am trying to find as many as I can, and I am reprinting them all here
Jay - yes I've seen it around too :)
Meleah - I am so glad... I can't wait to see it :)
Barbara - you know that's so true... it's more than a meme... it's emotionally exhausting and as Kitty said... kind of therapeutic. Let me know when you're done!
Malach - thanks for stopping by... I'd love to see the collection! It was by far one of the best meme's yet!
This is great. Sounds a very difficult project. I'm glad you found it therapeutic.
I doubt I could do one of these....I barely remember my childhood--I don't remember what I did, or what I felt. I don't think I was really living, then...just going through the motions of being aware when I really wasn't.
Anyway, I enjoyed reading this, and I'm glad you're a happier adult than when you were a child. :)
Interesting read(I've done it to!)
Rachel- it was difficult... I'm sorry about your lost childhood. That's really sad. There are parts of mine that I wish I could erase... but you learn to deal.
Thanks for stopping by Joel. I'll check out your meme :)
well written, and very interesting. Writing to our 13 year old self. Sheesh, I was a mess. I suppose we all were eh? Thanks for tagging, I am certainly going to have to think on this a bit, I mean, I can't be too frivolous with my advice, right?
pool - I think we were all a mess at 13 which is why the meme is so hard to do... good luck!
pssst... mine will be posted in the morning. xxoo
meleah - awesome... can't wait!
i just wanted to let you know... i did write a letter to my 13 year old self.. it had to be short and sweet tho,, as i was much too intelligent at that age to accept the wisdom of anyone other than myself!!!!!
thanks again for thinking of me dawn...
Dawn, posts like these really set you apart. You have such a beautifully eloquent way of saying these things that live deep in our hearts, and I thank you for it. My heart and soul thank you for it. I needed to hear this so very much, and there you were! Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Ang - I'm so glad you enjoyed the letter. And if you felt a connection with me on some level then I am even happier :))
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