Life was hard at 13...no really, it was. You didn't think you were as pretty as the other girls. No one wanted to date you. You felt as though your friends only kept you around out of pity. You were so so sad, and I understand why.

With so many changes happening all at once, it makes sense why you were so unsure of yourself. All of your friends were getting into relationships, and you were having a hard time figuring out exactly who you were.

You used humor to cope, but you went home and cried for hours. You hated the way you looked. You hated the way you acted. You just wanted to be someone else entirely.

You wondered what the point of it all was. Why were you waking up every day doing the same thing when all you felt was misery? Was there an end game, or was this all life had to offer you?

You clung desperately to the idea that it will get better. It will get better. It has to, right? If this is the worse you have ever felt then it has to get better.

You imagined how you would look in 10 years. You imagined the life you could have; with a college degree, hobbies you love, so many incredible friends, and someone to love you the way you always deserved to be loved.

You told yourself life may be hard now, but at least stick around until then. You hoped so much it would get better.

I am so glad you did. I'm here today because you believed in your future, and I'm so happy to tell you that it got so much better. Not even a full decade had to pass for everything to fall into its exact right place.

You found a hobby you are truly so passionate about that you look forward to doing for the rest of your life. You are such a wonderful creator; you just needed the right tools.

You are graduating from college early in just over a month with an incredible GPA, and you are extremely excited to find your dream job.

You are surrounded by your closest friends who have stuck by your side for years and years. It didn't take you 10 years to find your people. They found you right when you needed them.

And now you are engaged to marry your soulmate. On November 11, 2019, you will be celebrating 3 years of endless love, support, and happiness with him. And in less than a year you will walk down the aisle and vow to love him for the rest of your life.

This was exactly what you prayed for in your darkest moments. Someone was listening, and they showed you that you were on the exact right track all along.

The world would be void of all the happiness you have brought to the people who shower you with love every day if you didn't make the conscious decision to stick around and see what happens. This is what you stuck around for, and it's so so great!