Dear younger self,
Oh, my darling, I know you worry about what lies ahead,
Always caught in the tangle of questions and uncertainties.
The future feels like an immense, dark sea, mysterious and intimidating.
I see you pacing, pondering,
Your heart heavy with the burden of decisions yet to be made, roads yet to be traveled.
You fear the unfamiliar, the twists and turns that time will inevitably bring.
However, let me share what I have learned from my vantage point years ahead.
The future isn’t a feral beast to be feared, nor a dark rain cloud to blame for your worries.
It’s created from the present moments you live, from the love you give, the dreams you pursue, the choices you make.
Each step you take now influences the future, turning the unknown into something beautiful and memorable.
Trust the journey,
Let it unfold naturally,
Let the seeds of effort and kindness you plant today bloom like red roses in a rose garden.
Let the fears that seem so overwhelming diminish over time, replaced by strengths you’ll discover within yourself.
You’ll find your way, through storms and sunshine, through the darkest nights and the brightest days.
Believe in yourself. Trust the path ahead, it is not only manageable but filled with potential and promise.
The future is kinder than you think, and you are more capable than you realize.
Embrace the present, let the future take care of itself. You will flourish. I will be with you every step of the way, holding your hand and guiding you.
With so much love and excitement!
Your older self

Why Worry?
Dear younger self, this is a letter to me. If I could have had the skills to not worry about the future, I would have been less anxious and enjoyed the ride.
Learning to live in the moment is a gift to yourself. Smelling the sweet nectar from the flowers blowing in the wind, to running that race around the bend. Playing outside Double-Dutch and kick ball in the street, playing with jacks and marbles with no cares but to be present while I was there. I remember my childhood vividly no cares, until I kept getting older and then I had some fears: fears of getting older and fitting in with my peers, joining social groups and exploring who I was within. I had some anxiety back then, sometimes difficult experiences worrying about my future and how it would end. Forgetting the time when I was outside playing and using my imagination with no certain cares in the world was refreshing. If I could tell myself back then, do not to fret, as I was to age and grow older each day and that would have been ok. Perhaps, I would have thought the sky would have been the limit. If I could have said to myself back then, yes! You can do that or this and eventually just get it done, then I guess this letter would not have had to be written. However, I would have told myself to dream big or even bigger and not to be anxious about the future. See the future will come but after the present. So, the present should have been soaking in the sun. Because the future was yet to come. So, why did you often worry about what was to come but to have embraced the time you had back then and wait patiently for your future to have begun. Yes, you will age, you will not know what is yet to come, but the experiences you had to face while you were young was shaping you into the woman you would become. Not worrying about whether I belonged because just being who you were was exactly who you were! You were born unique! If I had just known to have just trusted myself and spoke to myself to say your enough. Your smile, your laughter, your size, your weight, your height, your life is what the higher power has given you so embrace it and not to worry, because worrying about what is yet to come brings unnecessary anxiety that soils your tongue. If I could have done it all over again, I would know that I was a survivor and that my future was bright and yet to come!

To the girl in the mirror with the tears in her eyes
Staring intently at her double chin and the ripples in her thighs
Listening to a voice in her head, whispered sweet nothings that have soured and sharpened-leaving long scars down arms that you no longer consider beautiful-
You are loved.
You are loved you are loved you are loved.
I’ll say it once more because it’s hard to hear over the internal and external screaming-voices raining down falsities, attracting you like magnets
YOU ARE LOVED!
Let the words wash over you: thunder down and fire up-burning the root of the problem-the seeds that planted how you see yourself in the world.
“It’s better to hear it here so you’re tough when you go out there-“
That’s not true.
You are loved and you are beautiful.
You’re going to make it through.
The wounds may be bleeding but they are going to heal-you are not broken.
People may be laughing but you are not a clown-you are a queen and there’s no need to fix your crown.
Don’t wipe the tears from your eyes and don’t pick yourself up because it’s okay to feel what you are feeling: you don’t need to take on strong.
But you need to take on love.
When I wrap myself around me I am really holding on to you-
Giving you sweet kisses and tender words to offset the harsh reality that you thought you needed to live in.
Elixirs for your scars and for the pains.
I want you to know that your thighs keep me warm at night
Your chin is the essence of your face and smile
And those voices? We’re on a journey to conquer the voices.
You will-we will-conquer every single one.
Here’s the weapon:
You are loved.
I love you.

Dear younger Rachel,
Waves come faster than you think
Trying to catch the sunsets before you blink
Days and years coming at you like the speed of life
Demons haunting you
But light shines in something everyday
Remember to hold the rope and climb
No matter how many steps it takes
Reach for the stars
Keep shining bright
Remember things will pass
Remember the root of the tree
The people that love you
The simplest things that make you proud
All will be well
You will meet incredible people
Touch so many hearts
Inspire the world
And most importantly be at peace
With yourself
You will find strength
And everyone will know your name

Dear Baby Girl,
A nick name I gave to you in your younger years, As I write to you across the chasm of time, my bridge of ink and memory too, As I whisper the truths of life you need to hear.
As you begin to feel the weight of the tomorrows, for I see you begin to fret about the future, don’t you? As worry gnaws at your tender heart, but let me assure you, dear one your guiding light will shine, and you will succeed.
Your unseen path is your life’s map that unfolds in so many mysterious ways, the paths you cannot fathom stretch ahead. Each twist, each turn as opportunities awaits, And worry? Don’t fret Baby Girl for it’s only a shadow on the road.
The Canvas of Dreams are your dreams to paint with bold but soft strokes, for they’ll shape your tomorrows. Fear not the blank canvas and paint what you see in your mind; Your colors will be made into a masterpiece.
The Symphony of Resilience is a life’s symphony that plays discordant notes but hear me closely the crescendo nears. Your heartstrings will weave resilience, And worry? It’s but a transient note.
The Constellations of Hope look up, little stargazer! You see the constellations of hope? Each starlight in the sky whispers to you, that “you are enough, just as you are.”
The wings sprout from your shoulder blades, Invisible yet sturdy. They’ll carry you Beyond the horizon of doubt, where worry shall dissolve into stardust.
The Echo of Love is like a river that flows through every season of your soul. So, drink deeply love, for its currents will save you when storms rage.
The Mirrors of Grace are when you gaze into mirrors, see the beauty and poise reflects at you. Your imperfections? They’re brushstrokes, and the portrait of your becoming.
The Whispers of Stars are your secrets that you leave throughout the night sky. Now you have learned to listen to your thoughts in peace and ahead whisper to you the encouragement of the bravery of your future self.
The Unfolding, for your young heart, fret not. The universe conspires in your favor and will embrace the unknown, for within it lies the magic of your becoming.
So, as I come to the end of this letter to me, my sweet innocent younger me, always stay true to you.

What’s wrong little one?
What’s that frown all about?
Don’t you know it’ll all be okay.
You shouldn’t worry about that troubles you may face. Instead focus on the adventures you will make!
Just like the birds above gliding through life.
It’s going to be alright.

What’s up young man?
What’s that frown all about?
Don’t you know it’ll all be okay.
It’s was just another bad day, some times there’s struggles we face. But we mustn’t let the world take our fate!
Just like the lions know their place in life.
It’s going to be alright.

It’s all alright.
It’s all alright.

The Prince of Peace is always there
In his arms I rest my soul
He takes care of my every need
I melt into his graceful hands
I can’t wait to feel his love again

My heart,
He can have it for he lays me in green pastures
My soul be weary without him
Thanks to Him I breathe soothingly
I can’t believe how much he loves me
Thanks for making me free..
Freewill to make my own choices yet you still have me at my lowest

Thanks Prince of Peace.
My soul be lifted by your peace, eternally.

Little one don’t you worry
Time will scurry
And sometimes you’ll feel in such a hurry
Just try to listen to the songs of the canary
I know it feels heavy
But think of the strength you’ll gain
Shh Listen to the wind blow
Little one you should know
As you grow
Some people will go
But remember how you collect everything that shines and glows
You’ll do that with everyone you know
Gifting everyone you meet with a piece of you to collect
As we’re all just mosaics of everyone we’ve met
Honey don’t worry you’ll find the way just get up and seize the day
And remember life is art in every way

Atop a hill that bears my family’s name
Overlooking the special little town to which our ancestors came.
I sit and swing as the sky gets painted with brilliant strokes of red, orange, and gold.
As I bask in the stillness and silence of nature I am consoled
As I think how this place has been the venue of many a family gathering
I hear the sound of my relatives laughing and chattering
I hear the bells ringing from the Church where I attend Mass
I see my little cousins running and frolicking in the grass
I smell the scent and hear the sizzle of red hot dogs cooking on the grill.
A Northern Maine delicacy that is sure to give your tastebuds a thrill
I taste fresh cucumbers that were grown from the ground
And my mom’s Chinese macaroni salad; the best one around
I feel the wind in my hair as I continue to swing
As I watch two feathers fall from a bird’s wing—
A sign that the matriarch and patriarch of our family are near. 
In this place all is peace—there is an absence of fear. 
This is my safe place, my sanctuary, a humble abode
But for me, it is more than that with the memories that it holds
It is the place where my ancestors landed
It is where business and brothers banded
For that one day it is where family gathered.
Even though the other three-hundred-sixty-four we are greatly scattered.
 As I look at the stars in the sky as they continue to glow
I breathe a sigh of relief and know that I am HOME. 

Minds quiet,
Comrades at my side,
Breathing deep — I’ve never felt so alive.

Beneath my cleats,
The earth greets,
“Balls out!” echoes, as my heart beats.

Rising, falling, our rhythm like a drum,
Together we advance,
The oval ball snug.

Ahead, a wall—
Formidable, true,
Yet to the earth I’m flung, feeling anew.

Cheers swell from the sidelines, ringing,
Vibrations through the field, singing,
We surge as one, our spirits linking.

Here on this pitch,
Where triumph tastes sweet,
In the sweat of defeat, our memories meet.

Below the surface of fear,
Underneath the competitive cheer,
Amid the tumult, clarity draws near:

In the push and pull, of this day,
The beautiful chaos sway,
I find peace in this crazy game I play.