Dear 9-year-old Toni,

You're going to be okay. I know you're sitting at a small table in the middle of a classroom in a new school right now. It's the first day of 4^thgrade in a new city, you don't recognize anything around you. You're fighting back tears. And of course, the girl across from you says, "Are you in 4^thor 5^thgrade?" You stare at her, confused, and say you're a 4^thgrader. She says she's in 5^thgrade. So now, you're freaking out thinking you're in the wrong classroom. She explains that it is a fourth and fifth grade combined class. You're baffled about why they would put two grades in one class. The tears you've been holding in almost escape. Just lay your head down in your arms for a minute, take some time to breathe. Everything is going to be alright.

As the teachers bring everyone to the carpet on the floor for a little introduction, you spot some girls who seem nice. You sit next to them and it turns out they are in 5^thgrade as well. I know you're probably upset that you can't seem to find anyone who is in 4^thgrade like you, but what you don't know is these girls are going to get you through this year. This year will be stressful, sad and emotional as you adjust to your new life in Wisconsin. But you're going to love it here, I promise.

This first day of school is going to be the hardest one you'll ever go through. You are going to sit alone at lunch, sit alone on the grass on the playground at recess, and you're going to ride home alone on the bus. Grandma and grandpa will be there to pick you up from the bus stop, and when Mom finally gets home you're going to tell her that everything was great. Except it wasn't. You're going to dread going back to school tomorrow, but each day it will get easier. You are going to make friends with four girls in your class who live in your neighborhood, and everything will be okay. You will spend the hot Wisconsin summers at the pool, and you'll spend your bitterly cold snow days making snow forts in your big back yard. Even though you are only 9, you are going to show the world how strong a little kid can be. I promise you, you will be alright.

What you don't know is that you are going to learn some great life lessons in this new city. You will start to learn more about yourself, about the world, and about life. You will learn that making friends doesn't always come easy to you, but when you do find your group of gals that you just hold onto them dearly. Keep doing that, because there will be many people who come and go in your life. You will learn that Madison, Wisconsin, is such a special place to grow up in. You will meet so many diverse people from all backgrounds and you will have so many opportunities to grow and shape yourself as a young woman. You will have your entire family in Madison with you, something you did not have in Minnesota. You should be most excited because you don't have to make the dreaded seven-hour drive to see your family on Christmas anymore. I know how frustrating it is that you have to start over at a new school for the third time. You will adjust and become stronger because of it. I promise.

As you sit in the foreign classroom, in your favorite pink dress and matching pink bracelets, think about how awesome you are for coming to a new school. You've lived in four different cities now, that's pretty cool! Think about how you got to decorate your new bedroom all by yourself, and it's decorated in your favorite color, lime green. Think about how much fun it will be to walk to the ice cream shop that's close to home, or spend time reading new books at the local library. You have such a great life ahead of you. So just take some time, let those tears dry up, and just be you. You're the coolest little girl there.

With love,

19-year-old Toni