Dear Almost Grad,

A letter to myself at graduation

Dear Almost Grad,

Before I get into this I just want to take a moment to congratulate you! I don’t think I gave you enough credit in the craziness of it all. I’ll start by telling you that you should have celebrated more. By the grace of God you graduated from a wonderful school, filled with the most wonderful people and memories. That piece of paper seemed meaningless when you got it in the mail and now it collects dust while you wait for a less-than-temporary place to hang it in. That paper never defined you, and it shouldn’t. But it was something you gave your all to (most of the time) so take just a little bit of pride in it. And those 500 pictures your parents made you take seemed overwhelming, but you’re grateful for them now. They remind you how hard you worked, how much you are loved and that the world really is your “oyster”. Take your time celebrating and soak up every second of it, because you really do deserve it. Don’t let the sadness of it ending keep you from enjoying it fully.

While I’m on the topic—it’s really okay to be sad. I give you full permission to cry your eyes out multiple times a week. Press into those emotions even if they seem hard. Don’t avoid them because you don’t want to ruin the good times. Everyone is feeling the same way you are. You spent four years letting your heart open to these people and this place. It’s okay to mourn the chapter ending, crying means you had something that was hard to see end and that’s something to be thankful for. You don’t have to pretend to be strong and above it all, because change isn’t easy.

Everything  is about to change. But don’t let that scare you. It is awkward most of the time trying to navigate it. But things actually get even better. These were an amazing four years. But I promise you that your best years are ahead of you. These will always be the “good ole days” but you don’t have to spend the rest of your life longing for what was. Look forward to what will be.

Hold on to your friends, those strangers that became your people. Cherish these last few weeks living in the same city. You’ll learn who your real friends are and who was just your friend out of convenience, but don’t worry. While things are changing and you won’t be in the same city, your friendship doesn’t change. Yes, it will look a lot different. You won’t be together often and in constant communication, but believe it or not, it deepens your friendship. Give each other grace for not responding to texts or phone calls for weeks at a time. Always schedule Facetime dates that last hours and drive two hours just to spend the day with each other, because those moments are so worth it.  Don’t let the amount you see each other or communicate define your friendship. Also don’t let social media fool you; everyone else is still having the same feelings you do even if you can’t see it. You’ll make even more friends! Be present with the people in front of you instead of always wishing you were somewhere else.

Take time to thank God for every little thing you loved and write it all down. Seriously start with freshman year and write till the end. Thank Him for the great things, the best laughs and memories, but also thank Him for the hardest things and the lessons you learned. Believe it or not, one day soon you will see it was all for your good. Look at the ways you’ve grown since that dorky, overly confident, eighteen-year old moved into her dorm. I know it seems like it was both yesterday and a million years ago. At the very least you got educated and know how to dress better, but we both know so much more has changed in the best ways possible. Be grateful for each thing, big and small, because they added up to this moment.

Hate to break it to you, but you do not have your life any more together a year later. You actually still have no idea what you are doing, but I promise you it’s okay. You know why? Because God is still sovereign and He is still good. A lot changed in a year, but He didn’t. A lot changed from the time you stepped on campus to the time you walked across the stage, but He didn’t. He was always faithful, even when you were always a mess. But He loves the mess you are and He is going to continue to grow you and mold you long after to leave that campus. It may not look like what you planned for yourself, but I promise it is so SO much better. Don’t doubt His sovereignty, and most certainly don’t doubt His goodness. He is working it all out so try to enjoy this time of learning to trust Him fully. Live your life in full surrender now, because it’s preparing you for even greater things ahead.

So I’m going to go ahead and give you permission to fail in just about every way after graduating because it’s inevitable, acceptable and honestly encouraged.

You did it and your best days are around the corner!

Always, Meghan

PS- Please, take as many naps as possible while you still can!