Broken Pencils

  Dear Past Alysyn, Hi, it’s been a while since I thought of you. I know it’s been rough more recently looking for Lilly, and I know that little dummy would have found you soon if she knew where to look. I know that you miss her and I know that she does too. She was always your favorite animal and you were always her favorite person. I know you hated when she used to eat your hair, but I also know you hate it now that she's not here to annoy you. I know that you miss all of her weird things. I also know that if she and Wilber met, they would get along perfectly. I miss watching her run into walls after living there for years. I miss watching her and Roo start fighting over nothing. I know you miss her constant wailing, and it may make you feel better that Wilber does the same. I know it was really hard to get over her, and I also know that letting her run wasn't fair to me or us. I also know that it was really hard to get over her, and I may still not be over it. I know it'...

  Dear 3rd grade Erin, I know that you’re going through a very tough time. Your parents are getting divorced and people are still bullying you. The people are saying mean things about your weight and your glasses. Your dad is still drinking quite a bit, and your cat recently passed away. I know that you feel like you can’t talk to anyone about your problems.  Your life gets a little better. Your parents still aren’t civil. They argue every time they talk, but you don’t have to deal with it as much. You learned that just because your parents don’t get along you don’t have to let yourself drown in their sorrow.  People still talk about you, but you’ve learned that other people’s opinions on you don’t define you. You have become a lot more confident because you realized others don’t define your worth. You have some of the best friends and the best boyfriend. They never let you go a day without telling you how much they appreciate you. Mom got us a new cat and she just ha...

  Dear 3rd grade me,  I know what you're going through right now, the fake friends, the scary teacher. Right now it seems like the end of the world. Not understanding the homework, and not being able to read like everyone else is a struggle because of the lack of help in your circumstance. But do not fear because everything will get better in a few years. Once you get through Junior High, those people won't matter anymore.  What they say won't affect you as much because you will learn to find your own self confidence within yourself. For your academic issue, you will eventually learn to take your abilities into your own hands. It's important for you to understand that the pressure is on you for now on. You are going to have to put in more effort than average to keep your head above water in school. Please stay away from all distractions. Don't try out for your Junior High cheer team or participate in volleyball or crosscountry. Yes you will enjoy it, but at what...

  Dear Sofia,  I know that seventh grade has been a very rough year for you. Depression can be a very rough thing to fall into especially whenever you are young and in school because you may believe that nobody cares about you and that you aren't good enough or smart enough in school. Everything has been weighing you down all because of just a few mean inconsiderate pricks, they were your bestest friends before they became so self centered and sometimes you might forget that now and just only see them as bad people but deep down somewhere they remember those late nights playing games and church camps that you all vowed to be friends forever. Deep in their hearts and in your heart you all still care about each other and they know they care enough just to act like they hate you.  Depression has been a tough thing to fight but you are tougher, you got through this time in your life by really sticking close to your friends that you know are good people and that you know c...

Dear Vinni,  I know sixth through eighth grade was difficult for us but trust me it gets better. Highschool at that time may seem scary and make you feel uneasy but trust me it is so much better than middle school. I would not say everyone is nice and kind but you have friends. I know eighth grade was the hardest because you left so many people when you moved but trust me you made new friends. Their names are Serena, Brielle, Gunner, Hunter, Sofia, Jett, Levi, Elizabeth, and there are so many more. In eighth grade please avoid Shelby. Trust me the things that happen between me and him are not worth the pain. You need to avoid Toren and Nico too and a different Levi. It just makes it harder for you to get over people. In seventh grade please focus on yourself and stop trying to date Peyton. It's not going to work out. All I have left to say is take care of yourself. You need to especially the summer before eighth grade. You're working yourself too hard as it is and it real...

  Dear 3rd Grade Lilly, Right now, you are about to go through one of the biggest changes of your life. After COVID, your mom and dad are going to split up, and you will move to Albion. It will feel scary because you have to leave behind the place you know, your school, and the friends you care about. At first, you will feel lonely and wonder if things will ever feel normal again. When you arrive in Albion, everything will seem unfamiliar. Making new friends won’t happen overnight, and there will be days when you miss your old life. You may feel nervous walking into a new classroom and wonder where you fit in. But even when it feels difficult, keep being yourself. Be kind, talk to people, and don’t be afraid to give new friendships a chance. Over time, things will get better. You will make new friends and create new memories. The people around you will begin to feel like family, and Albion will start to feel like home. What once felt like the worst thing that could happen will turn...

  Dear Whitley,  I know that Jr. high was one of the hardest moments of your life. Between the constant teasing about your height and people at cheer calling you fat you had a lot of horrible stuff to deal with. In sixth grade you started out pretty good and towards the end of the year you sliced your leg open on a metal bar that was broken on a desk. You also were hit in the face with a pom-pom at cheer. My seventh grade year was pretty good except the fact that people were always bossing you around. Fast forward it is your last year of Jr. high and you are ready for it to be over. The constant crying because someone in Jr. high was mean is over. Getting over the memories of everything that happened took steps to get there. You first had to block out all of the noise and at least attempt to leave all of the drama behind you. I know that sometimes you doubted yourself but eventually overcame it and realized your self worth is more than drama and sadness. I know that I learne...

  Dear Younger Marley, Hey, how's it going!  This is sophomore Marley. Your ADHD can be difficult to control sometimes. As well as you talking out in class and lying about stupid things. These are your struggles, you know them, continue to work on them. I’m writing to tell you that people are going to continue to be mean to you. There’s nothing you can do about it except ignore these bullies. What to do if these people continue to mess with you? Tell them you don’t have time for them or tell them that you have to go because you will get mad easily. Or other than that, if you can’t escape them just avoid them until they stop. They might not ever stop, but don’t say anything hateful because you will regret it. Make the time you spend with people valuable, don't waste it. What you need to know is that you will feel like you will want to give up. You didn’t give up because I’m writing to you. If you did then I couldn’t possibly be here telling you this stuff. I’m here to tel...

  Hi my name is shianne  Dear 5th grade shianne  When i was 11 year old and i was at school i got pulled in the office and i was told my got in a bad car accident well then i went home and my mom was crying on the couch the she said hey to me and my brother and side your dad got in a horrible car accident then we drove all the way to champain hospital and i saw him i lost it i fell to the grounded and started  crying to the point i could not breath but then  me and my family decided to let him go to heaven  when i side  my  my goodbyes  i was so sad and i was depressed for a while my dad enjoy fishing, golf ball, hunting,hanging with friends ,and his kid of course. I was always bullied for not having a dad  when I volleyball. The girls had dads and my in heaven he is not in pain anymore. I hate when ppl can say I was dead with my dad dead, no you don’t because it's really sad . Love shianne     

  June 11th 2025 Dear younger me couple years ago, Get up and do something with your life, join basketball and baseball. You're going to regret it in the future when you do join because you're the worst player on your team. Doesn't matter what you think of yourself, just do it. You have the potential to do it and that was said by many people so get your lazy butt up and get to work. You will not regret it. You will enjoy it. Also stop hanging around the wrong people, they suck, go hang around other people.  Regret and tiredness is a mental block, ignore them. Also start praying and worshiping the lord. Something nobody has ever regretted doing. Go on walks and start working out. you're weak and stupid, and nobody cares about you currently and won't care about you unless you change your ways.  Lastly, fend for yourself. Ain't nobody saving you, heroes are lies told to you to keep hope, they don't exist. Get a life young me. Sincerely, Older Me

  Dear 8th Grade Paisley, I know you just tried out for high school cheer. I know it is sad to not make it. Even if you didn’t make it, don’t let that stop you. I know you want to give up, but don’t. I know you enjoy cheer and are sad you didn’t make it.  To overcome this, try harder next year. Also start practicing way early. The life lessons you will learn are to never give up. Also that success takes time, you may not win on the first try. Trust me, I was sad at first, but I remembered there is always next year. I believe that you will make it next year. You got this, just try your best. Trust me, I for sure know you will make it, I promise. Sincerely, Paisley

  A Letter To 6th Grade AL I know right now you feel really low. That’s okay. No one wants you to hurt like you do, I promise. Life is so, so, so much easier in the coming years. You’re doing so well, and even if it seems hard, you know you're stronger. I know how much stronger you can & will be, though, and it won’t be easy to overcome these feelings, but it will be so well deserved. Soon, you’ll move schools - don’t mind your first year, it’s gonna change you a lot. Worry about late 7th grade - this part of the year you meet a lot of your best friends, these people are so, so awesome, they’re going to change your life for the better! You’re doing amazing, dear, I expect so much growth, you’re doing your best to survive, and I’m so ginormously proud of you for just getting by. (:                                 ...

 June 11, 2025 Hello 11 year old Non, First, a big thank you! It may have already happened, or it could be happening in a short time, but in recent times, you will have faced a difficult and borderline traumatizing experience. I shall not tell you this experience as not to cause you mental harm of being unable to stop it, despite having knowledge of it. You will be quite sad, you won’t be able to make sense of anything, but know this, don’t blame yourself, otherwise you may suffer more than needed. He would not want you to suffer. Despite what he does, he still loves you. Don’t blame yourself, but also continue working towards a better future for people such as him. You will get many things from him, some nostalgic, some not, some you can use, some you can’t. Treasure them all, as they will be  some of your only connections to him. Show your appreciation for people, even if it seems hard to express it. Sincerely, A future Non

 Hello AutumN Covid sucks, especially online classes. Math sucks the most because there’s no one to explain what’s going on or what to do. Just look things up, it’s not cheating if the school doesn’t care to provide the materials to learn. You’ll learn not to care about grades so much anyway after a while. You’ll still have opportunities without straight A’s. You’ll get covid a few times and once you’ll think you’re dying. You are not. Also we are still friends with luna, and you will gain weight during covid, a lot. Continue with art, because we still do draw and are much better at drawing now then we were then. Save up your money, because we are broke and money equals much more fun down the road, also we only have two dogs, Bubbu and Howard. Bear is still alive. We just had to give him away, but we visit him sometimes.

  Dear 9 year old me, I know things are currently scary and confusing. I know you don’t know what is happening or why they broke down the door. Why you had to hold your crying sister to your chest as shouts and banging came from the other room. Why did your dad have to drag you both from the house and away from it all as you watched from the back seat as mom was led to cop cars in cuffs. Why since then you have to talk to her through a pane of glass. Why no one would tell why she was there. Back then, my past and your future, Mom was sick. Her illness made her want something she really shouldn't have and only really being able to focus on that. But you were able to get through it! You gave her something to focus on instead. You, your sister and brother, her children. With you just being there we were able to give her that reason to be better. Now through it all, it's no longer confusing or scary. I've learned from it though to always stay focused  on the important things, a...

  June, 11, 2025 Dear 6th Grade Faith, In your 6th Grade year you are automatically put on the spot and you were forced to be friends with Autumn. You don’t speak up because you're afraid you didn’t know if you would get in trouble. You have no friends, you try looking for a relationship, the relationships don’t work out, they pick on you and try to bring you down.  You learn to stand up to everything at the end of 8th Grade year and in 9th Grade you do Trio and your friends are Lizzy, Cadence, Blaze, Logan, Ridge, and Maria you will still not have any relationships. Well also have tiktok, snapchat, zepeto, and twitch and Autumn and Don dislike you, but it don’t bother you honestly your doing really well you do have depression and anxiety you do stress a lot. To tell you keep doing what you're doing, but you need to be a little tougher inside and out your an amazing girl, don't let guys tease you.

Dear 12 year old me, It's hard, all of it I know. You don’t want to face the feelings so you throw them up. You're alone. But you're only alone because you let yourself be.  You are a good person. You’ll make friends and lose them. You’ll go into a depression. You’ll want to leave this world. When you tell your family your dad tells you to take the whole bottle because he doesn't want to push you around for the rest of his life. Your older sister cries. Your mom guilt trips you and tries to make it about her. Your little sister acts like you never said it. When you tell them about the eating disorders they tell you, you don’t  have one. And I'm sorry we had to go through that.  You finally opened up to your friends about it. They were supportive. You got better so much better. You felt needed, you stopped turning the showers all the way to the hottest it could get, you stopped scavenging your room for razors. You got better. Then your dad found out you told people ...

June 11, 2025 Dear 7th Grade Gauge, Sitting in that gym where kids were playing and doing flips, through the screaming that sound of the snap. The snap was bad but there was no pain, it was just frightening. When trying to get your sister to the truck because her arm is broken just remember to breathe. Seeing her not able to do things will be hard especially when going on the vacation but she will still enjoy the trip. Remember her arm will heal and she will be fine and there will be plenty of times where she will have fun. Remember that everything will be fine and your family will become stronger than they were before. Just help your sister and her life will be much better. Remind her that just because the trick hurt her one time does not mean it will hurt her again. Look at her emotions and see that she still enjoys life and when she complains about the cast tell her it will come off soon. And remember that this is temporary, it will heal and she will no longer complain about the cas...

Dear younger me couple years ago, Get up and do something with your life, join basketball and baseball. You're going to regret it in the future when you do join because you're the worst player on your team. Doesn't matter what you think of yourself, just do it. You have the potential to do it and that was said by many people so get your lazy butt up and get to work. You will not regret it. You will enjoy it. Also stop hanging around the wrong people, they suck, go hang around other people.  Regret and tiredness is a mental block, ignore them. Also start praying and worshiping the lord. Something nobody has ever regretted doing. Go on walks and start working out. you're weak and stupid, and nobody cares about you currently and won't care about you unless you change your ways.  Lastly, fend for yourself. Ain't nobody saving you, heroes are lies told to you to keep hope, they don't exist. Get a life young me. Sincerely, Older Me

  June 11, 2025 Hello me, First, just keep going. I know there’s a lot, yet almost nothing, going on right now. You’re waiting. Waiting for a reason, for a prompt, for anything, really, to just say it. Even if you did get this letter, you’d wait. That’s okay. It’s fine to wait, but not forever. All that matters is that it happens at all. Waiting isn’t a problem. Not yet, anyway. This letter is vague, and sounds like something totally different to a stranger, but you know what I’m talking about exactly. All I did was give in at my most tempting moment. It was random, it was hard, and I didn’t even really say the right thing. But I said it. Got on my phone and texted a brick at her. Middle of the night, I don’t even think I got a response immediately. She will bring this up almost constantly, always paint everything in a bad light, but you can ignore it. I can’t give a pep talk, and I know you don’t need one. Regardless, just don’t worry. The moment will strike. Things will turn out ...