Letter to a Stranger

Dear Future Liz, 

I hope you learn to be confident, 

But not in your physical appearance, 

Though that would be a plus. 

But in your words, in your thoughts. 

That if the professor asks a question 

You raise your hand first 

Because you're an intelligent woman 

And you know it. 

I hope that you realize your worth, 

But you never let anyone take it away. 

Your body is yours and no ones to take, 

Your mind is full of what you put in it. 

There is no dominant gene passed down that says 

I am worth less than others. 

No person should be degraded or stereotyped 

Because of how they were born. 

I hope that you find love, 

But rather than a husband  

You find a partner. 

Someone who lifts you up 

Someone who makes you better 

Because you were already great 

But that with the addition of this person 

You have maximized your potential. 

I hope you pray, 

But never out of anger or frustration.  

That you never give up because its hard 

Or because you feel alone. 

That you pray for the people who hurt you 

And pray even harder that you can help them. 

That you are able to easily forgive others 

As if they were yourself. 

I hope your life is a bucket, 

 But never a watch, 

That you add to your accomplishments 

Each day gaining more as person 

Overcoming challenges, concurring new bounds 

Instead of repeating the same monotonous actions 

Again, and again and again. 

Waisting your talents on passionless labor 

I hope you look back, 

But you don't live in the past. 

That you reflect and remember, 

On the good times when you were on top of the world, 

And the bad times when the world seemed so dark 

It seemed as if you were made blind of the future. 

Remembering how when all seemed loss 

You overcame it, because you're still here. 

But most of all I hope you remember me, 

And how proud I am of you  

And how far you've come, 

And how far you still must go 

Because you are destined for greatness and nothing less. 

Sincerely Liz