One Day: A letter to students

One day when you no longer walk the lonely halls of middle school and one day when you realize you have survived the crowded halls of high school you will understand what I mean when I say one day it will be better. 

One day you will wake up and realize that you not only survived all of those difficult days, but that you are thriving despite the hurt contained in them. I  know that right now if you are in the midst of hurt it might be hard for you to understand me, which is why I intend to show you one day in the stories of adults who are living their one day today.

Their stories say keep going. Hang on for your one day. I hope they bring encouragement to you.  

One day you will understand that your success in life is not determined by the number of friends you had, the awards you received, or the dances you did or did not attend but that your success in life came in every small moment you decided to keep going even when it hurt. 

Even if you are in a season of life where you feel everyone has abandoned you, a time where you feel you have no friends and your parents would never understand the ache you feel—keep going. One day it will be better. 

Even if your heart is broken from a break up, a rude comment on social media, an exclusion from an event, or not making the team—keep going. One day it will be better. 

If  it hurts today so deeply you don’t think you will ever survive, be reminded in these stories that one day it won’t hurt as much or even at all.

I promise you, if you keep going one day the hurt you feel right now will subside.

One day you will see that the boy/girl who broke your heart and who you thought you couldn’t live without made way for the person who loves you unconditionally and forever; the exclusion you felt made you more determined; the nights of loneliness grew compassion in your heart; the times you ate alone made you able to recognize those who are now lonely or the times you were frozen out of a friend group made you search for others to include and belong. Even those wonderful, defining moments of glory in high school prepared in you a humble heart. The negative feelings that you may feel now will ALL be distant memories to make way for your better one day. 

The season of your life right now is just that, a season. As bleak as it may seem now, I can tell you with certainty and will show you with each and every story that  it will not last forever. 

I know that surviving today’s middle and high schools is  not the same as it once was.   Technology and social media have thrust you all into a world that is a far cry from what the adults around you experienced at your age. When people hurt you today it is sometimes anonymous, hidden and deceptive. You all face a world of ever changing social media platforms where the draw to be instant celebrities make some forget the dangers contained online. A world where personal value is based on likes, shares, followers and re-tweets. Black eyes, spiteful words and bruised egos have turned into hidden taunts, public shaming and scars that don’t heal. I have seen up close and personal the damage that social media can cause. It created in me a passion to use social media in a positive way. 

Social media alone has made your life in school different from what the adults around you experienced . One word. One click of a button and one choice have the ability to destroy your life or another life in the most profound ways. 

What remains the same is the fact that life is often difficult. Kids are mean. Words stick and they sting and they damage,and hurt seems like it will go on forever. I can assure you, other people’s insecurities and cruelty do not have to define your future. You define your future. These are the things don’t change from generation to generation. 

If your season now is difficult, if you are lonely, scared, or you feel like the pain will never end, if you need encouragement, I hope you find it here and in the stories of people who experienced similar hurt and pain that you might feel now but are now living great lives. It doesn’t mean they have forgotten the cruelty of others, it means that they pressed on for their one day.  You can too.

Hope is a powerful tool. 

I hope you find hope here in the stories of the brave adults who have agreed to share them.

I hope that through their stories you can glimpse all of the possibilities in your own future. It is my hope that one word, one moment, or even just one story will have the power to give you hope.

Hope for you future. 

Hope for your own one day.