27th July, 2020
Dear Jackie,
At sixteen you are just at the start of your life, and not yet aware
of how your life is going to change in oh, so many ways. Up to now
you haven't really been aware of why some people bully you or why it
is that your friends get more attention than you do, and why boys
don't really want anything to do with you. You feel worth so much
less and aren't really sure what you have done to make it that way.
In the September of your sixteenth year you will start catering
college in Wakefield and will make new friends that accept you for
who you are. The first four weeks will be great, your confidence will
begin to grow, and then... bang! It will all change.
Your mother will remarry, move to the South of England and will be
expecting a baby in November, and all of a sudden she'll decide it
would be so much better for you to go to live with her, her husband
and your brother in the October, before your new brother is born. You
won't want to go, but you have no choice. So you'll leave your new
friends, your grandparents who had a big part in bringing you up, and
go and start a new life 230 miles away from all that you know.
So many things will happen between 1974 and the present day. If you
knew everything I think you would give up, you'll be made to feel a
lesser person, be told you're ugly and will never do much with your
life. Let me tell you it won't always be easy, there will be bad
times, but there will also be so many happy, positive times.
It will take a lot of time, and you will often feel that you are not
strong enough to do things, but you can and will!
Many years will pass, but you will learn how much you can do, and how
much you really are worth. You will never be a beauty queen, but you
are not ugly and the people that told you that were so wrong and they
were truly ugly on the inside. Life is truly precious and as that
cheesy saying goes, “there is no rehearsal to life”, you are here
and make the best of it. You are never too old to learn new things
and enjoy the time you have. You will look back on your life and not
let the negatives have any importance and be thankful for all the
special opportunities you'll have. Always try to be positive and know
that you are stronger than you think.
Lots of love from a much wiser self,
Jackie
xx
No comments:
Post a Comment