Like this Rosebud, I am still waiting to bloom. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
A service has been invented through which you can send messages to people in the future. To whom would you send something, and what would you write?
This is a timely prompt from lovely Michelle at WordPress, as I have not been looking forward to my upcoming birthday in April. I have come to the realization that I will not be wandering this little place called earth for as many years as I have lived thus far. I am going to be 60 (sob, groan, ackkk!) and I am fairly sure I am not going to live another 60 years.
When I was younger, 60 was not something I could easily imagine–and when I did, I imagined that I had “arrived”; that I had reached my ultimate goals; that I would be ensconced in comfort.
It is not so much the age of 60 itself that has me bummed out–it is the fact that I only have so much time left to “arrive”. I am fighting the feeling that the book is closed and that my goals are unattainable, so I am going to write this letter to my sons in an effort to give them advice, and me some hope:
Dear Adam and Tyler;
As you read this, I am a vibrant 80 year old. I did not reach some of my goals until later in life, as I have always been a late bloomer. But along the way, I learned that even if I did not feel like I had been a “success” in the normal sense of the word, I reached success on many levels.
I found love with your dad; I found my maternal instincts as soon as I had you guys (it was an amazing transformation by the way as I did not know that I really wanted children until I had them); I worked at jobs I did not like; I worked at jobs I loved; I had a business of my own and learned that I would rather buy books than sell them; I learned how to be a “mother bear” advocate for you guys; I tried to learn to let go (even at this age, I am probably still struggling with that); I learned that family and friends can get you through anything; that losing your parents is rough but their voices stay with you; I have learned that success is not just financial (though it does make it easier); and I have learned that you should never give up.
As the two of you progress down the sometimes smooth, sometimes wretched path of life, keep in mind that in the end it is all worthwhile. You have seen your parents struggle, and now you see us comfortable in our own skins. Even though we are eighty, we live life as if there is no tomorrow, because as we all know, there may not be.
Live life well and fully. Enjoy good times even in the bad times. That old saying~this too will pass~is true, even though some things we would rather go away, do not go away fast enough.
You are loved, and my best successes! ~ Love mom
I know that this letter to my sons twenty years down the line has fallen into cliché but I do not care–clichés are there for us to use–and sometimes they do the job. I am looking for my bliss today–in twenty years I am certain I will have found it and put it to good use.
What would you say to your loved ones from your place of bliss?
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That was beautiful….it made me a little misty.
Misty – a lovely word – I am glad you liked it – now to make it come true!
I am not so far to the age 60 🙂 But made me surprise because I always imagined you are younger than this… But you are. It was beautiful piece to read. Thank you dear, have a nice weekend, love, nia
I imagine me younger than this too! Thanks nia– have a nice weekend too.
Great letter. 🙂
Thanks LuAnn 🙂
What a lovely thing to share with your sons! I don’t think your letter reads like a cliche…I think the feelings and hopes you express for your sons, and the reflections on how life works, are based on universal experience…so it seems cliche to say, but it isn’t, in my opinion. Just familiar themes. I could write a very similar letter to my children. Lucky us, to have had more ups than downs, and to have loved ones to share with! I don’t say that lightly…sometimes I think a lot of life is luck, sprinkled with good fortune! ~ Sheila
Thank you Sheila, and you are right–we must count the ups and deal with the downs, and give our kids some tools to deal with the latter and enjoy the former–luck sprinkled with good fortune–I like that recipe!
Without deep thinking…I guess I would say….have some dreams and work toward them, expect roadblocks but persevere and always be your true self . Be kind and compassionate to yourself and others.Diane
expect roadblocks but persevere–excellent advice Diane–and you cannot never be too kind or compassionate
I loved this! And as for your question, I think I would tell my loved ones to not be so hard on themselves, to accept that your best is truly good enough.
that is wonderful advice – if I were ever to get a tattoo–that is what I would have on my earlobe (you know I am kidding–but that is perfect advice Krista!)
Nice words, I tried to think of something clever to write–as you see I failed. But I never like to give up. Maybe in 20 years I may think of something. I guess that’s what I’d write to no one in particular. Never give up.
Immortal words–I could not agree with you more..
I think most of us eventually learn this one on our own. At least I did.
even though there were (and are) times we want to
You really should keep this for your sons. It’s lovely and inspiring, too.
I should do that and not let it become lost in the blogosphere – thanks for thinking of that
Absolutely keep it for them ..it’s important our children know more about their parents.. sweet letter for sure!!
Thank you — it is important for kids–I keep every shred of writing that my parents left behind — in the form of recipes from my mom and my dad left behind a little notebook that had some work notes
Thank you for this very poignant blog. Like you, I am also coming to terms with feeling like the door is shutting, and whenever I haven’t had a recent “success” I tend to forget the many successes I’ve already enjoyed. Your advice to your sons is so worth taking and sharing.
I am glad I am not the only way who feels this way at times–hope I can take the advice I have given to my sons –thanks for coming by 🙂
“Losing your parents is rough but their voices stay with you” What a great line, and truth! If I wrote a letter to the future it would be to my kids, too. I have promised myself to do a journal of “mom’s memories” about their growing up years for each of them, but haven’t yet. Thanks for the prompt!
Over the years I have kept journals and calendars and daybooks etc for my boys–some day I have to put it all together–the memories are precious
Lovely letter Lou, your sons will love to read this letter if not now, then for sure when they are older. I wish I had something similar from our mom…..maybe I should give it serious thought, and write a letter to my girls.
that would be perfect Peg, they would cherish your words
Great letter! xoxoM
Thanks Margarita! 🙂
I’m about to be 63 in a week, and I will tell you that entering the 60’s was hard for me, too, for all of the reasons you mentioned. Time is just going by too darn fast!!!
It does doesn’t it – I still remember when I was a kid and Christmas never seemed to come, now it seems like weeks instead of months
When my daughter was in kindergarten, the teacher had the kids make time capsules and assigned the parents to write their child a letter for them to read in the future. In the letter to my daughter, I talked about what I imagined she would be like as a young adult. My daughter opened the time capsule when she turned 21. It is amazing how I predicted her future personality. Including when I predicted she would major in graphic design. How’s that for mother’s intuition?
Lovely letter to your boys. They will treasure your love forever.
wow–that is amazing — will you tell my future Robin? and can it have a little prosperity in it? that is all that is missing right now
So nice that they will get to see this letter now as opposed to after…
I never really gave it much thought. I’m hoping to be around for quite some time more. But – reality has showed me that we can go at any time.
reality bites!
What a wonderful letter to your boys. I too would write something to my boys telling them how much I loved them and how proud I am of them.
It is good for us and good for our children 🙂
A very wise, loving letter. Anyone, no matter what age, can relate to all the things you said. I think it really just kind of boils down to trying our hardest and doing the best we can every day. 🙂
I think you boiled it down quite well;–but sometimes it boils down to trying our hardest and doing the best we can every day despite the bad times, and not to cruise along in the good times
I love your letter, LouAnn. Your sons are lucky to have this letter now instead of waiting twenty years for it. There are similarities between you and me. I am right behind you in age, my son just turned 26, I am finally coming into my own, and I would definitely rather write (and buy) books than sell them as I still have a used book business. Very nice post.
Good luck with your used book business — there is nothing my husband loves better than a used book store, and he has me hooked too.
I am glad you liked my letter – sometimes though kids are not ready to read stuff like this……but it is done for when they are ready
What a lovely letter LouAnn…I think my letter would be written for my grandchildren , and I should start thinking about it, since I'[m in the mid– seventies!
It is never too early or too late–I imagine this is just one of many I will write–your grandchildren will be very lucky
Can’t answer the question easily. No children, who would be the obvious recipients. Maybe to myself, from 20 years on, reassuring me. Don’t know.
I do know I’m 60 just 3 days after you are. Never thought I’d see it.
let us hope we both see our 60th birthdays — and live to tell the tale – I like the idea of writing to myself in 20 years, though the letter to my boys kind of was
yay Taureans!
Ooops. I mis read you. I’m ahead of you by at least two weeks. I’m bang in the middle of Aties, not that I think it makes a scrap of difference to my life. Apart from having birthdays earlier than Taureans do, of course…
my husband is exactly one month older than me–so you are in the middle of us — Aries, Taurus — to some it makes a difference — to me, not so much
You are a perfect example of my philosophy that age means nothing because I would never have guessed that you are turning 60! That is only your body age – you are much younger in mind and spirit :). I absolutely loved your letter to your boys. Your deep and eternal love for them and your pride in them came through loud and clear. You are a great mom!!!!
What a wonderful response – I can’t believe I am going to be 60 either – I feel I should be much more mature than I am–but I am guessing most people feel this way.
I try my best to be a good mom–but the jury is still out….
I think I’m quite immature most of the time – maybe that’s why my kids’ friends like me so much LOL!!
say after me “I am immature and I am proud of it”–that is my mantra
I am immature and proud of it. I love it!! Maybe we could start the “Life’s too short, so let’s have fun and be immature” club?
sign me up – or use the battle cry we used to bring out at every party — we are not here for a long time we are here for a good time
Love it 🙂
lovely post. i too have written a letter to my children. but you also have created an ongoing letter to your children through your blog. it is another way they will know how well loved they were and that they are not alone in their struggles and triumphs because you have left them this diary of life.
that is a nice way to put it — letters to our children are important–I wish I had something like that from my parents, but that was not them and I cherish the things they left behind – wonderful memories
Truly, this was very moving. I have not written a letter to my children lately, although wrote big scrapbooks of letters when they were young children. I hope we’re still here when we’re in our 80’s, and they are still here, and we’re still learning from each other.
we will be — and as lifelong learners we will still be learning
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