I know we haven't met, yet. But I just wanted you to remember that I will be waiting for you every day, peeking around every corner whenever I hear a laugh like yours. I know, sounds crazy, but I know you'll understand, because you know me, even though we haven't met, yet. Remember don't try to impress me, because I'll already be impressed. Please, don't come looking for me just yet, we'll meet when the time is right, but when we do, I'll have a disk for you. Don't spill your coffee on the CD player, like you did in my dream, please! Sorry, getting off path here, this won't be like the letter I sent you next week, when I rambled on about the people who didn't want to hear about the ... Never mind, that was next week's problem. I know you're there for me, because I'm waiting right here for you. This is becoming pointless, I can't think straight, will be last month's all over again. I think I'm in love with you, I know it's quite late to say, but I hope you'll say it back early.

Love,

Your Nobody

We were both 7 years old. You were black, and I was white. But we were both there at that water park. We were so convinced we were twins, although I can't remember your age. We played the entire time there. I just wonder who you are now and what you're up to. Just curious.

We were just kids, in a not-so-safe neighborhood. We used to make tacos with leaves and grass. When you invited us over, you were a good host, making sure that we had a juice before you got one for yourself. We were good friends when we were little. I hope your life is going well. You seemed to have a good home, with parents that love you. I think I would like to know what happened after my family moved, and where you are now.

To the past of me...

I know you have endured alot. Felt more pain than any one you're age. Forced to accepted the ultimate betrayal by the one you loved and gave your all too. I know that the dreams of the perfect relationship with your parents had slipped away by force and you realised that what you had was only a dream. I know that you have made many mistakes, but who hasn't? After all mistakes is what shapes your being. I know that you tend to look for the good in everyone even when the bad outweighs the good... you believe in second chances, which is one ot the main reasons for the pain that constantly comes your way. But dont change that for anyone.

To the furture of me....

I know life has been tough, ad thought you many lessons. But never close yourself off from the oppurtunity to love. Be strong in all you do, remember that everything happens with reason. Never stop living, and never forget where you come from, who helped you and who sticked with you....

It has been 40 years since you left me to be with your father in heaven. When I see the flag at half mast, I remember your funeral. There were forty cars of Officers from twenty states to say goodbye to you. The judges of the county closed the court rooms where you had served for ten years.

Your example has touched the hearts of your Army comrades you served with in Honduras, a forgotten place and time. The Agent Orange they use there gave you the cancer that sent you home.

Remember the talk we had when I asked you what your plans are when you finish school. You manned up and said, want to go to the Army and become an M.P. then return and go to the Police Academy. I will get married to a Christian lady and we will have two children, a boy and a girl. In the meantime, I will learn to play the guitar.

All I could say was, that’s a good plan if you stick to it.

So proud of you, you learned to play the guitar, and you had a voice of an angel. All the children at Sunday school, even today, still talk about you. How you stuck to it every Sunday. You shared life with them available, listen to their plans, and prayed with them.

You stuck to your plan; your Son and daughter grown and serve the Lord like their dad.

By your example you have made a difference not only during your life, but even today. Missing and knowing I will someday see you again gives me hope.

Dad

Dear foolish, naive, me,

Listen up for once and stop that, it isn’t really helpful, and your mother DOES know! Save us a whole lot of pain and suffering. First of all, you are not as stupid, or as smart, as ugly or as pretty, as good or as evil, as your so called friends say. Ditch those friends and find new ones, immediately. RUN away from the one with the bottle! Just remember, the only one you can really trust...is you.

Avoid the cages, categories, and closets, the world will try to put you in, especially the closets. They will try to convince you it is safer there, but you will only be miserable, lonely, and eventually go mad. Stop ignoring the truth. It stands there staring you in the face waiting for you to acknowledge it.

Be kind to your mother, you’ll need her so many times and you’ll be the one who will need to be there when dad dies. Tolerate your dad’s stories and long answers. When his mind leaves him, you will cry with longing for the stories and any answer that makes sense.

Be prepared to cry often and deeply. Some of your pain will pass and some will only subside. If you embrace the lies of others to describe or restrict your life, the pain will only grow more intense and inescapable.

If at all possible avoid falling in love, but if you must - and believe me, you must - be honest with yourself so that you can be honest with them. I have to keep this clean, so all I’ll say about sex is that what you do, how often you do it, and who you do it with...does not define your entire life, but it can destroy you, so choose partners carefully. (By the way, apologize to the writer who posted this challenge when you sign up on this site.)

Dream. Then go out and make it a reality. Stop being petrified of failure and ridicule. Both will make you stronger, and in the end richer in every way.

Last and certainly not least, Love yourself, without shame. Reject shame, understand guilt, and accept it graciously when it applies. Ignore those who try to prescribe either for you. You are special, you are loved, and you must make the best of what time you have to be the very best You there is. For my sake, take this to heart, and save me.

I love you (at last),

Your future self.

We had only met a few months ago, but I can't imagine my life without you. You have been there through my toughest times, making me smile and laugh when all I thought I could do was cry. You've provided me support and love that I am deprived of from one of the people who should love me the most. I hadn't even met you in person yet, only talked to you over messages and I've Zoomed with you, but I know I don't want to lose you. I know you are going through so much in your life as well right now so the fact that you are still here for me through my struggles means a lot. I'm proud of you and everything you're doing. You're so kind-hearted and loving, generous, supportive, funny, understanding, brave, determined, and so much more. I don't know if you feel the same way about me, but I really don't want to lose you. I'm scared to lose you because you just mean so much to me. You never intend to be rude and when you are you apologize about it late, you hate if you think you're coming off rude, you're just so kind-hearted and I admire that about you. We always talk about meeting in the future and I'm so excited for that day because I know that you will want to go on some adventures with me and do some really fun, exciting things. I just want to thank you for being my friend up to this point and hopefully continuing to be my friend for a long time.

Dearest Montrez,

It has been several years since we last seen each other, I want you to know that I forgive you for the trespasses that you commited against me. I would like to thank you for the life lessons. Your taught me that I AM worthy to be loved and have all my dreams come true. This was my life lesson and you were the teacher. I am a better version of myself because of you. I loved you then, and I love you now. Good-bye my past professor, my life is for me now. I will never forgot what you taught.

Love forever,

ME

Dear reader,

You have some serious explaining to do. That little vanishing act of yours, might work with some, but won’t get you anywhere with me. I think its time you come for a home visit because your moral compass is skewed, from my experience at least. I wonder,

is everything going to plan?

They say you can be (all knowing) omniscient and omnipotent (all powerful), I hope they’re wrong, because otherwise your a real piece of work. All the good ones are the first to be taken and the little shits live forever, justice is just another game for the rich, and freedom was a trinket you gave us.

If this message makes its way to you,

I’d like to say, you seriously need to change your act.

My name is the only name I know. You ask for skills, for connections, for mentorship . . . you ask for help. But I live untouched. Untouched by your desires, untouched by your world. I wish to help you, I wish to cup my hand over your cheek. To kiss the salted tears from your eyes, but it would only be a comfort, not true help.

I can not gift you a solution.

I can merely gift you my love. And I know, that is not enough, not even close.

Hi,

This is an impossible letter because it will never reach you. I know that very well, and that's why I'm writing it.

I assume it will be a while until I see you next. In the past year, we've all been trapped at home, so the only occasions I could see your face was on my computer screen. You were just a little bubble, among many others, with your name written in the bottom left corner. Most people didn't have their cameras on; you sometimes did. And whenever you did, I would stare at you--the tiny little digital you on Zoom.

Your beard grew longer and longer. You seemed distracted. You were completely bored of the stupid meeting.

Your hair grew longer and longer. I wanted to make a joke about it, but it would have been inappropriate if I'd just sent you a private message.

That would be weird indeed.

I wanted to reach out to you, email you, text you, ask you how you'd been. But you seemed to have disappeared from ordinary life.

You must be very busy with writing, I thought to myself.

Every little excuse with which I got to email you was exciting. I wrote three paragraphs, then deleted all of them. I wanted to tell you so much, but I was not in a position to talk to you like that.

You probably thought I was a moron, I thought to myself.

You probably wouldn't want anything to do with me. After all, my writing was so, so terrible; my essay was such a mess that you must have had a huge headache revising it.

But I wanted to hear from you, hear about you. I missed going to dinners with you and eating junk food together. We went to breweries and ordered random drinks for an adventure. We talked about everything holding random beers eating unhealthy amounts of french fries. I miss your silly little jokes that nobody else would laugh at. I know we are all on the same page most of the time because you would laugh at my silly jokes too that nobody else would laugh at.

We finally got to meet after a whole year. You had a handsome beard and a handsome ponytail. You were wearing my favourite linen-cotton blend shirt. I arrived early and you were next, so we got a few minutes alone. I wanted to gaze into your face, trying to tell if you were happy to see me.

You probably didn't care, I thought to myself.

Everybody else came. We had a good time. Then you casually mentioned that you'd be away for a year.

Congratulations, I said to you. I put on a poker face, the same as yours when I saw you earlier. I couldn't tell if you were happy to see me, and you couldn't tell that I was sad to hear you're going away.

I'd run out of excuses to contact you, so it is best that I write this letter that shall never reach you.

Perhaps next year, I'd write another one. It won't reach you anyways.

Best,

Me