Dear eight year old Anna,

I write this to you because I see you are struggling. I think what I’m about to tell you may have the potential to be of great value. You haven’t listened to anyone else so I just thought maybe you could find some trust in yourself. Ya see kid, that’s just it. Trust yourself. Everyone tells you that the radiance and beauty of innocence is held in a child's eye, don’t get me wrong darling your hazel almond shaped eyes are lovely , I mean it they are it’s just you seems that you display a very serious sense of timid and anxiousness on the surface of yours. You’ll see what I mean in years to come when you look at old photographs, pictures with genuine concern in your eyes and an aching in your heart, just because you're worried and because you take responsibility for everyone else. I know you don’t believe me but please listen carefully.

Run as fast as you can, jump off the swings before they slow down, slide down the fire pole, fall in the wood chips after failure to do the monkey bars, play kickball, get a splinter, experience what it’s like when your knee scratches along the concrete because so what you wear a big old band aid. What you do kid , well you are afraid, afraid for yourself and for the people that surround you, I understand that. Trust me, I do . Believe it or not which knowing you really well I'm sure you’ll go with not you are not supposed to have all the answers in fact, you should stop creating questions with unlikely answers. Please just one more thing before I mail this in the postal service of the past, stop wearing that band aid on your heart before you need to, give your knees a chance to get scratched up.

                  More love than you’ll come to realize for 10 years sincerely, seventeen year old Anna