My dearest Alecksa,
For eighteen years I’ve been giving you advice. I remember, when you were little, telling you to stop walking where the sidewalk ends. In just a few days you will walk across the stage to receive your high school diploma. A new sidewalk begins.
Alecksa, the old sidewalk will end but I’m going to tell you to keep walking towards the new one. I won’t be there to hold your hand but I will forever hold your heart.
Look both ways at the choices you have. If you make a wrong choice it is okay. Lesson learned. Keep walking and remember that mistakes will make you stronger . . . and wiser.
Find a career that you love. Don’t let money determine your happiness nor your value. No job is perfect. I repeat, no job is perfect.
Look for the positive in each day. Look for ways to help others. It is there you will find contentment.
Don’t look around at what others are achieving and find yourself envying them. Your success will look different than theirs.
Give others grace. Even more importantly, give yourself grace. You can’t be everything to everyone.
Choose a spouse who holds your hand as well as your heart . . . with gentle reassurance that you matter.
Pay close attention to the traffic in your life. You know, your community, the people who will either build you up or tear you down. Never be afraid to leave a relationship of any kind.
Always remember it is not your job to make someone happy. Happiness is a choice we all have to make.
If someone makes you feel “less than” then remember you are always “more than” enough for the people who matter.
Stay out of the lane where everyone is on a fast track. You won’t want to miss the scenery of the moment.
Don’t be afraid of detours. It often is there that you find where you were destined to be.
Your habits will determine your success. Always start the day by making your bed and saying your prayers. Trust me on this. It will make a difference.
Pray each day that you will make a difference in someone’s life. Look for ways to do so. And thank the people who make a difference in your life.
Always have a current library card and read for fun, not just for what you have to study.
Read the newspaper, a real one that you hold. Don’t rely on a screen to give you all the facts. Remember that in this day and age the news you see and hear is just someone’s opinion about what is happening. Gather the facts and determine your own opinion.
Be careful of whose influence you find yourself under. Sometimes you must close the umbrella of their influence. It may be scary to find yourself in a brief thunderstorm, but better that than years of a tsunami.
Listen to the opinion of others and learn to disagree agreeably. If a difference of opinion separates you from someone maybe they were meant to be in your life for just a season.
Don’t ever let anyone put you down for how you feel. They don’t wear your shoes. They don’t know your story.
Don’t let regrets, jealousy or anger take residence in your heart. Pick your battles. Sometimes you stand your ground and sometimes you just walk away.
Alecksa, your voice is quiet but it has much to say. Don’t let anyone talk for you or over you.
Don’t forget to call your Grandma. Five minutes out of your day will make her day. She just wants to hear your voice and thoughts. She wants to know what is going on beyond the end of her sidewalk.
I love you Alecksa and I’ll always be your cheerleader and will be waiting . . . where my sidewalk ends.
Love and prayers,
Grandma Janet