A letter from April 19th, 2020

Kaiden Green English II Letter to Future Me April 20, 2020 Dear Future Me, Today makes 28 days since Louisiana has been ordered to stay at home to avoid contact with covid-19. Today also makes 33 days since you’ve been out of the hospital. You were on spring break and you got lonely and you gave up so you overdosed. Your mom found you and took you to the hospital and from there you were put in a mental health facility for some time. While you were in there they told you that school was cancelled and you watched everyone else get excited but for you it was different. You need school because even if you have the worst day there you’re still around people and you don’t feel so lonely. So when you got out of the hospital not much changed because school got cancelled for the rest of the year, but when I reflect back on all of this nonsense I realize that I’ve really learned to value life and have more respect for myself. I’ve grown in my faith since all of this has happened and I hope by the time you’re reading this you’ve grown even more. You needed all of this to happen so that you could seriously take some time to figure out what’s important to you. If I fear anything now it's that by the time this is over and we can all get back to our lives that this would have all been for nothing. I want to make sure that I’ve gotten a lot out of this time I’ve been given. So, future me, I know that things are hard and you haven’t been given the best family to look up to but just remember to use them as an example of what not to be. You should be a junior right now and you know how easy it is to get distracted. Don’t let yourself be blinded by temptation. Keep the right mindset and stay focused. I expect so much out of you because I believe that you can do extraordinary things. You are loved and you’re never alone, always remember that. Things may get way harder than you expect and I don’t know what those things could even be but if I have any advice for future me it’s to always turn to God. I don’t care if you’re sad, happy, frustrated, overwhelmed, whatever the feeling may be, always turn to God because people will come and go but God is forever and with him you will flourish. Also throughout this time I've realized that you accept the love you think you deserve. You stay where you’re familiar but I need you to stop doing that. I need you to believe that God really does have someone for you and you need to believe that you deserve better. Kaiden your life is worth more than you know and you will go on to do amazing things. Don’t ever give up. “You are beautiful for you are fearfully and wonderfully made.” Don’t waste a minute of the time you've been given. With God all things are possible. With high hopes, Past you.