Dear 2019,

Good luck topping me! But in all reality, I've been both a rewarding and challenging year. A year of being comfortable yet treading uncharted waters. A year of feeling overwhelmed by friendship, but also overwhelmed by work responsibilities. Really just a year in between ending a chapter and starting a new one with college graduation around the corner. But most of all, learning to brace the extraordinary in the ordinary.

2018 was really a struggle for the balance between work and play. My advice for 2019 is remember what matters the most, remember to make time for the things you will actually remember at the end of the year: the time you've spent with others. Work will always be there, but your college experience will not. Enjoy your last semester in college. Make sure to do well in grad school, but always make time for yourself, God, and those who matter most to you. Soon the present will just be a distant memory of the past, always make room for joy in the moment.

2018 was also a struggle with faith. It was a year of getting caught up in the everyday and forgetting about the bigger picture. There were many times of "Oh I'll pray later" or "I'll read the bible more tomorrow," but that later and tomorrow never came. In this next year, find ways to put God in the center of the ordinary and every day. Don't push him aside or save him for later, invite him into the moment. Invest less into your social media and more into your faith. Remember, the big picture of heaven is more important than the tiny stresses of your day, which will soon pass. There is always time to make for what is most important.

Well good luck 2019! I will be hard to beat with all the good times and close friendships made. I was definitely a year of fun, travel, comfort, and being busy. I hope you are a year of joy, faith, spontaneity, and positive transition. Your challenges will for sure come, but that will only shape her into the better version of herself. Let her see not see challenges, but opportunities of growth. Hopefully you don't pass by too fast.

Sincerely,

2018