Letter to a Sweet Teen named Love

Transitioning into my teenage years, I had a lot of struggles, mostly internal.

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I came from a very humble background where we never really paid our school fees till it was time for the term exams. My school fees was mostly paid late and some times, I would be allowed to write the exams but I wouldn't get my report card along with other students until my school fees was paid.

Sometimes, we were sent back home from school.
I would initially shed tears whenever I and my siblings were sent home for school fees. But later on, I developed a thick skin and wouldn't even blink an eye lid.

Picture of Me in my mum's shop

From then on, every time I was sent home for school fees, it only motivated me to read on my own.
My mum was a petty trader who also sold stationery so I wasn't lacking exercise notebooks to do my study.
I remember solving all the questions in the new general mathematics for my class in one of those times and moving on to that of the next class.
And anytime I resumed school, I would be way ahead of the class.

I always wondered, when will this ever end.
But here I am today, I can boast of offering scholarship to a young girl in a rural community in Ibadan via the corporate social responsibility of my business.
And I hope to do more.

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This A Letter to my Younger Self, specifically my Teenage self.

Dear Teen Love,
How are you doing today?
This is your 27 year old self writing to you.
A lot has changed about you.
But you're still as beautiful as ever!
Keep your Warm smile and your Peaceful heart.
It has helped your older self to live in harmony with herself and others.

I remember your fears,
Your struggles,
Your concerns and Your Aspirations.
All I can say is congratulations for not letting your fears cripple you from achieving your goals.

Congratulations also for not allowing your struggles to prevent you from forging ahead valiantly.

Congratulations again for not allowing your concerns about life or what people say about you deter you from pursuing what you truly desired.

And finally, congratulations for letting your aspirations drive you till they became reality.

You are Strong, Elegant, Beautiful, Kind, Amazing and Loving.

Who would have thought that the little you had would turn into so much today. And there is still so much more to come.

Who would have figured that the experiences you had would transform you into a mature woman who bears the burdens of others so gracefully.

I remember when you were so bothered about how your future in 10 years would look like.
I'm glad you held on to the truth that, "everything you desire is on the other side of growth"

You have proven to me that when a child delights in God and yields to God, He makes out of that life a beautiful masterpiece that is breathtaking for the world to see.

source

I wish I told you not to worry about what your fellow young girls scared you about you not getting a shoe size in the market because you had a bigger foot size than theirs.
How did they even arrive at that conclusion?

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I wish I told you to embrace your uniqueness early enough without feeling awkward about it.

Now you know better and I'm so glad.

I love you dear younger self
I love the woman you have become and I love the woman you are becoming.

Remember, there's no other person that is exactly like you.
Embrace you, Love you, be You.

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This is my entry for the hive naija week 73 prompt

All pictures not sourced are mine.