A Letter to Twenty-One and Twenty-Two

I don't know about you, but I am feeling twenty-two. 

Thank you Taylor Swift for that song and thank you for reminding me that it's okay to dress up like hipsters; eat breakfast at midnight; be happy, free, confused, and lonely at the same time; make fun of exes; spend time dreaming instead of sleeping; and ditch the whole scene. Oh yes, thank you.

Twenty-one, you were good to me. You taught me:

1. Michigan summers really do steal your heart.
2. Buying plane tickets and surprising best friends really is never a bad idea and that it should be done more often than not. 
3. Cars are meant to be driven, so go places and drive all over the country to be with the people you love and to see the things you have always dreamed of.
4. Coffee at Merritt's is in fact one of the most delightful things.
5. Making a list of things you are grateful for will open your eyes to so many places the Lord is really working.
6. Living life alongside high schoolers is challenging and hard some days, but it is absolutely worth every single second of it. 
7. When it rains, it pours. Literally and metaphorically. 
8. Flowers from best friends when things get rough do truly make things better... of which Sydney Jones is the best giver.
9. Plane tickets to Denver with no other plans really do work out. Strangers at the air port do even offer you their mountain house in Breckenridge to stay at (of which you should politely decline the offer for safety reasons). 
10. A little coffee and a whole lot of Jesus make any day wonderful.
11. If there is cute party-ware at Target, a dinner party is just the thing that will bring it all together... and be sure to add best friends, cute dresses, a photographer, good wine, and even better food.
12. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
13. It's always best to tell the whole truth, say what you really mean, and take ownership of your feelings... for this is a lesson I am continually learning.
14. Vulnerability is scary and sometimes ugly, but it is also beautiful and necessary. 
15. Going fishing with the entire McMansion on a boat does not produce catching fish but it does produce laughter and joy that tickles the deepest part of your soul.
16. Dressing up as Santa and his reindeer makes for an eventful Halloween of caroling and prancing.
17. Asking for the Lord's grace each and every single day is necessary; just as is extending grace every chance you get.
18. Love. Always, love. 
19. Taylor Swift concerts are best with Anna Wong.
20. It is always better to stay up late, make mistakes, cuddle in beds, drink out of mason jars, hunt down raccoons, twerk at dance parties, take pictures every chance you get, and have real talk with your house mates.
21. Nothing is better than loving Jesus... absolutely nothing. 

But, twenty-two, I could not be more excited for you. I cannot wait for the lessons that you will teach me and all of the adventures that you will provide... I mean I am moving to freaking Colorado this year, bring on the adventure and good times. 

Twenty-two, you have already taught me that I do in fact have some of the best friends in the entire world. Friends that send the most fun gifts, call at just the right time, and encourage me to know the Lord more each and every single day. You remind me that mornings spent with the Lord are beautiful and necessary. You teach me that Yahweh is my shepherd and I lack no thing (Psalm 23).

And twenty-two, above all else I cannot wait to know the Lord more this year. I cannot wait to be seized by the power of His great affection each and every single of day of twenty-two. May I never lose sight of the One who has called me His own and has my name engraved on His hands. May twenty-two be a year to glorify the Creator.