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This is my response to Jess'/X3Jessicalouise's "Note To Your Younger Self" Challenge. I had wanted to scrap these childhood pics of me & this seemed like a great way to do so. I'm younger in the pics than the stuff I address in the letter, but the note deals w/ that fact. The letter mainly addresses how I ended up becoming a kind of introverted serious kid later. & of course y'all know that I like to write. so I couldn't keep my note short, LOL! Almost everything here is from Scraptivity's awesome 9/07 kit, including the tiny glass beads which I used for the flower center (they are shinier IRL, the flower wasn't in kit) & the letter stamps.

Journaling: "Sept. 2007, Younger Sharon, I love looking at these photos of you as a happy baby & little girl, having fun, being loved, smiling. I wish I could teach you how to better cope with what's in store for you later. By the time you're 8, you'll have the observation skills, seriousness & precociousness of someone much older. You'll continue to have fun & be loved, but you'll start to feel solitude as you watch your much older siblings live their separate lives, isolating you in your world of play, thoughtfulness & introversion. You'll bask in your parents' love yet struggle w/ your place in your family & your cultural identity, far more than most little girls do. But from your solitude, you'll gain the ability to find joy in numerous creative activities that will comfort you through life. You'll develop passions & talents - finding your identity, relishing artistry, enriching your life, impressing others. I really wish I could tell you that you don't have to be perfect! How on earth does a little girl get the notion that being perfect is actually possible? Your family will always be happy with your efforts, but it will take you years to be happy w/ anything less than a mythical ideal of perfection from yourself. I wish I could tell you to focus less on your future goals & savor the beauty that is your NOW, your present day, your girlhood, silliness, playfulness… You will thankfully relish some of the wonder, but will overlook much while wanting to grow up so quickly. I guess lots of kids do that.

Most importantly, I wish I could tell you that you already have the power within yourself to find bliss & contentment. You have nothing to prove to others. You are unique & will celebrate your nonconformity, but sadly will sometimes secretly lament it too. I wish I could tell you that you have so much to love in yourself, despite how awkward things get in your surroundings. It's typical to compare yourself with others but I wish I could stop you from that. I wish I could guide you to be grateful w/ the everyday, even though you will learn to as an adult. Things will get very dark later on; I wish I could hold you & assure you that you will find light in your inner battles. But somehow, you will sense this.

I don't mean to paint a gloomy picture - there will also be tons of fun & good times! You will have an amazing life alongside your wonderful family & a lot of unforgettable people & pets. You will have enjoyable vacations, exciting extracurricular & school achievements & many wonderful everyday moments. There WILL be happiness, laughs & smiles! I just wish I could help you w/ your struggles with YOU.

I wish I could tell you lots of things. But I guess it's good I can't, because you will grow up to be a wise, experienced & very happy woman who loves life. Still, I see these happy photos, think of the sadness you experience later, & I can't help wanting to give you a zillion hugs. Thank God you have such a remarkable family & select friends to love you when you don't show much love to yourself. We know you love yourself; maybe that's why you will be so hard on yourself. Please, you don't have to be. But you'll learn that in time.

You will turn out just fine.

With love (& see you later), Older Sharon"

TFL :o)


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