To My Graduating Brother,
First, I want to say
thank you. Thank you for changing the oil in my car, mowing the lawn so I didn't have to, attending all of my basketball games, and hugging me when I cried.
Thank you for annoying me, asking me questions about English, for telling me all about your Physics project, and calling me on the phone just to say hello.
Thank you for buying me the first two seasons of Boy Meets World, for going on bike rides, taking me on movie dates, and going with me to Big Stuf for now five years in a row.
Next, I want to give you some advice as you head into your first year of college - believe it or not, I've actually thought about what I want to say in this letter for at least 24 hours. I reflected on my own high school graduation a lot as I was looking back through old pictures and setting up cake at your party.
I hope you appreciate this advice from someone whose "been there, done that!"
Know that just like there was life after the awful, awkward years of middle school, high school will not be the best years of your life. Even as I head into my last year of college, I know that while college has been a blast, these won't be the best years of my life.
The best is always yet to come.
Your freshman year will be hard. You will probably fail a test. You will probably be homesick at times. You will probably have some annoying guys on your floor. You will probably sleep through a class. You might forget to do your laundry and maybe will run on out of clean socks. You will probably make a bad first impression to people, and you will probably have bad first impressions of other people and wonder if you will ever make friends! You will probably forget to clean out your refrigerator.
But your freshman year will also be on the most extraordinary years of your life. You will pass your classes. You will make a new home at your campus. You will get along with the majority of guys on your floor - there will still be some who play their music too loud late at night and fart in public way too much, but that's expected. You will learn a lot in class. You will learn to do your own laundry and not bring it home to mom every time you come home (if you're like me though, you won't start to fold your laundry until you're a junior in college!). You will make plenty of new, hilarious, and weird friends. If you're lucky you might learn how to make something more gourmet than Easy Mac.
Study more than I did - it will pay off in the end. Also, try to stay
up as late as I did - it's where you will make some of your best memories
(I didn't go to bed before midnight my freshman year
of college except for two nights when I was sick, probably from all of
the lack of sleep!).
Make sure you call home more than I did - mom wants to make sure you have enough to eat, dad will want to know if you're working hard, your baby sisters will miss their big brother, and I will want to listen to all your stories and offer advice if you ask for it.
Most importantly, though, love God, love the people He created, and influence the world.
You are going to have a great first year and I couldn't be more proud to be your older sister!
Sincerely,
Your big sister
-
Courage, dear heart. C.S. Lewis
Lexi
