Dear high school seniors...

School is starting back, and you know what that means. It means you only have one semester left in high school. Some of you are thrilled, some of you are terrified, but most of you are probably somewhere in between. I understand how you feel because I was there only two short years ago.

Believe me, it goes by so much faster than you think it will. Enjoy your final moments with your teachers. They really do care about you. Say thank you to your custodians and cafeteria workers. Smile at your principal as you walk by them in the hallway. These are days you won't get back, so take advantage of them.

Dear high school seniors...

I know you're worried about life after graduation. If you're going to college, you're worried about balancing scholarship applications with keeping your grades up to still qualify for those scholarships at the end of the year. You're trying to decide which school you want to attend, and you're figuring out what you're going to study after high school.

If you're going straight to work, you're worried about finding a job that will support you in your life. If you're going into the military, you're worried about others worrying about you. You want to do what's best for you and your country, but you hate that others will stay up at night because they won't always know how you're doing. I know every single one of you is worried about what the future will hold, but I promise you, it'll work out. It always does.

Dear high school seniors...

There will be friends you'll lose touch with after graduation. That's part of growing up. But there is also nothing wrong with staying friends with people you graduated with. Hometown friends share a common bond with you that college friends never will. Know this - the friends who are meant to be in your life after graduation will be in your life after graduation.

That might be none, or that might be twenty. No matter what happens though, don't abandon your hometown friends just because "that's what everyone does". If you've got good high school friends, keep them as best you can. If people can meet their spouse in high school, there is no reason you can't also meet lifelong friends there.

Dear high school seniors...

I wish you could know your college best friends now. I wish you could meet them and get a head start on your friendship. I wish you could see the memories you'll make, and hear the inside jokes you'll soon have. I wish you could know that even if you don't have very many friends at the moment, there are people out there who will become your best friends.

You'll wonder how you went through high school without these people, and you'll be so glad God put them in your life. College best friends become your family and support system. Once you find these people, hang on to them.

Dear high school seniors...

Take chances in every aspect of your life. You regret what you didn't do, not what you did do. So tell that boy you like him. Ask that girl to prom. Apply for the school you don't think you have any chance of getting into. If you don't, you'll always wonder "what if?" and that is a terrible feeling.

Dear high school seniors...

You're worried about all of this, and so much more. But let me tell you this one simple truth: things work themselves out. You'll go to a school you're meant to go to. You'll find a job that works for you. Your high school friends will stay in your life if they're meant to be there.

The people who will become your college best friends will find their way into your life. The chances you take will become learning experiences, and you'll learn so much more about yourself and your world by taking these chances. So dear high school seniors...enjoy this last semester. Make the most of it. And remember this - you will be okay.