Hey you,
As freshman year of college comes to a close, you look at the road that lies ahead. While finishing your first year of college is the biggest event this year, you have to remember those who stuck by your side when you were almost certain you were whining a little too much. Through the bad and the good, this year has been a rollercoaster. Your adventure is nowhere near over, yet.
Never forget this moment in your life. Never forget the hard times or the good times. You grow from both of them.
Family is and always will be very important to you. You have such a strong bond with everyone: your aunts, uncles, grandparents and cousins. They will always be there for you when you feel like the rest of the world have turned its back.
Your mom is your best friend. She will always keep your secrets. She will hold memories you have long forgotten close to her heart forever. As you get older, your relationship changes. It went from her being the mom, you being the daughter. Her being the rule maker and you being the follower. Now, you are best friends and know just how to make the other laugh until you can't breathe. She loves you more than anyone in the world.
You'll always be daddy's little girl. No matter how old you get or how much you fight, he will always protect you and guide you down the right paths in life. You stayed home specifically so you wouldn't lose the close bond you two have, and because he will always make sure each seven-page paper is written to perfection. He is your mentor, protector and best friend.
You and your brother may fight sometimes but at the end of the day, you will always have one another. You may fight, bicker and pick on one another. But that's just what brothers and sisters do. You know you love and will protect your little brother until the day you die. He will always have your back and even though he's younger, he will hurt whoever hurts you. Never destroy the bond you two have. One day, you'll only have each other.
You have the sweetest puppy in the world. He's a big, clumsy fur ball who loves you more than anything. Be the person he knows you are. Cherish the moments you have with him.
Your best friend is always there for you and always will be. You go on countless road trips, have sleepovers, help one another with assignments and pick each other up when one may need it. She's always there for you to fall back on; she's always offering a shoulder to cry on when you need it. She's been there through it all: the unbearable times, when you thought all was lost, and also the amazing times, when you never wanted that feeling to end. Never let her go.
You see your cousin as your best friend. Despite being younger, she is always there to listen to your problems and drama going on. She shares her own stories, even if you don't know the people she is talking about. She, along with the rest of your family, will never leave your side no matter how many pointless fights you get in or how much time passes before you see each other again. Though you do get to see each other a lot and you are forever grateful for that. You share a friendship that may seem odd to onlookers, constantly giggling and whispering about something. It is always guaranteed that the crazy memories you create together will be documented in videos and photos.
Life may get hard. There may be obstacles along the way. You'll lose friends. You'll cry a lot. You'll laugh, too. Family memories will be made, like that Disney trip where all 12 of you drove down and stayed for what felt like a lifetime in the land of magic. Or when you all went to Ocean City, NJ for a week and spent each day on the beach and each night on the boardwalk, eating ice cream and laughing. Take these memories with you wherever you are and never let them go.
Your 19th birthday comes soon and the year will start again. New adventures, new memories. No one said life was easy, but it only gets better. Sure, school is hard now, but what is to come will have made this all worth it. Your future. Your family. Your life is just beginning and you're nowhere near the end.
Never stop preserving. Never stop trying to be better than the person you were the day before.
You're constantly growing and learning. I'm proud of you and always will be.
Love always,
You
