Dear Jessica,

This is Jessica, from the future. Life has been, well, chaotic in the past decade. I know it's chaotic and messy right now. You don't know what the hell to do; you are lost, angry and confused. I get it. Mom and dad are sick. You and your brothers are badly hurting. Life is fucking shit, I know. Mom is in a battle with a serious disease. She has alcohol abuse disorder, depression and anxiety. The years of trauma in her life had a hand in her current troubles. Dad has a mental illness that he doesn't know how to cope with outside of using hard drugs. Your parents are sick and not in their right frame of mind. Everyone is hurting and I wish I could come help you all. Unfortunately, time travel isn't a thing yet. Maybe science will advance us to that point in this lifetime, but we'll see I suppose.

Anyway, you're 16. You should be out having fun with your friends, driving around, having the time of your life. I'm so sorry that all of this is happening, that you and your siblings are in this fucking nightmare and shit show of a situation. I know you spend so much of your time in your room, wishing to be someone else and somewhere else. You spend your time sleeping and losing yourself in MySpace and browsing the internet to drown out reality. I know you're depressed, anxious and hopeless. I wish I could tell you it was all going to be OK; but a lot of it won't. You're going to experience more trauma, loss and sadness. I can't stop it, but I can tell you that you will get through it. You are strong, resilient, brave and intelligent. Good things will also happen. There will be happiness, joy and peace along with the bullshit. I can promise you that.

I also know you will make mistakes, bad choices and poor decisions, but that's OK. You are human. It's OK to make mistakes. You're learning and growing. However, I do want to go back in time and tell you to stop skipping school. Education is so important and going to school is equally as important. I get that you're depressed and ashamed of your life, but none of this is your fault. Remember that.

Lastly, I wanted to let you know that life does get better. It has its ups and downs, but it does improve. 10 years from now, you are going to be happy and healthy. You have a great life. You are working towards your goals and dreams. You survive and you thrive despite the trauma and sadness you went through.

Hang in there, girl. You wouldn't be who you are today if you didn't go through what you went through. You're a goddamn warrior. Remember that. Always.

With love,

Jessica