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Writer's pictureGrace A. Johnson

Twenty Years Older: A Letter Tag

Updated: Dec 2, 2021


Well, y'all, I have been legitimately tagged! (This makes the second time, I think.) Super huge thank you to Victoria over at Soli Deo Gloria for tagging me! You can read her awesome post here!

This letter tag was so fun (and I stayed up way too late writing to myself)! I may have taken a few liberties with how my life and the world will be twenty years from now, but isn't that what makes this so exciting?

So, without further ado, let's dive in!

 

The Rules


  • Appreciate the blogger who nominated you. (Thanks, Victoria!)

  • Mention Gauri@BrighterAlleys, creator of this letter tag.

  • Answer the question, which is a task to write a letter.

  • Now, nominate five bloggers who you think are worth it. Make sure they know that they are nominated.

 

The Letter


Oh, and I guess we made it. Or at least we made it this far, and it all looks smooth from here…

Remember that song? Relient K, “At Least We Made It This Far.” By now, it’s even older than it is when you’re listening to it. And, just so you know, it’s still stuck inside your—er, my—head. (So is the memory of dancing to it in your pajamas…)

But my purpose for writing to you (or me, whichever I prefer, I reckon) is not to reminisce. (All right, it is. But mainly I’m here to give you advice.)

Just so you know, you really did make it. You’re nearly thirty-six now (dang, I’m old), you’re married to—well, I won’t spoil that for you. You’ll find out soon enough. (Remember to keep trusting God; He really does have an amazing, wonderful, faithful, God-fearing super hot man in store for you!)

Not to mention you’re closing in on those eight kids you wanted. (Yeah, it’s more chaotic than you’d like, but so worth it. Trust me. I wouldn’t give up my munchkins for anything in the world.)

And, no, you’re not a famous author (I knew you were wondering). You’re pretty mediocre, I guess. I mean, not your writing. Of course that’s fantastic (not like I’m biased or anything), but you’re not up there with…(who are popular authors in 2021?) authors like J.K. Rowling and Stephen King and what have you.

What’s important is that you have reached so many people—and you’re continuing to. God has taken your stories across the world and right next door, into the hands of readers who truly value your words—and more than that, into the hands of readers who are drawn closer to God because of them. (Not to mention you’ve made a lot of amazing reader friends. You really have turned out to be that sweet writer lady, like Miss Julie. I’m still kind of crabby in real life, though.)

Speaking of reaching people…I know you feel the call to missions. Why? Because, for one, I’m you, and for two, I still feel that call—it just hasn’t happened yet, but it will. All in God’s timing.

But enough spoilers. Let’s cut to the chase.

Trust God, Grace. He has the most spectacular plan for you...girl, you can’t even imagine. He’s got you in the palm of His hand, cradling you and tenderly holding you close to His heart.

It’s tough getting there—and I’m not even there yet (shoot, I’m only thirty-five!)—but you’ll get there. You’ll start that indie press and you’ll inspire so many writers. You’ll balance your callings and have a full life. You’ll raise up some amazing young’uns. You’ll turn out to be way more romantic than you thought. (Like all those pins on Pinterest…you know, about all that unrealistically sweet and romantic stuff? Yeah, that’s you and your husband in the future. Okay, maybe not that romantic—this isn’t a novel, mind you—but close enough.) You will even get good at driving! (That’s not to say you’ll like it. But you’ll be able to do it without killing anyone, so there’s that. Plus, we have flying cars now...so don’t worry overmuch about mastering land driving. Flying is way worse, trust me.)

Anyway…I hope this letter was what you needed today. That the words I penned to you and mailed back in time (because we totally have those capabilities in 2041) resonate within you in this very moment. Maybe you were having one of those days (you were probably PMS-ing…) when you started to wonder...wonder what the future would look like, if you would turn out as you hoped, if you followed God’s will for your life and never turned away...(if your husband was good-looking...in which case, he is)…

Maybe you were, and maybe this is what you needed. I hope so. You know how it is when I write letters. And, yes, you do still write people letters...because, for some reason, snail mail stuck around.


Shalom (because you eventually ditch “peace out”),

Your older (and way more gorgeous) self,

Grace


PS: You never end up with any nickname other than Gracie. Gray just didn’t fit. So, yeah, there’s that.

PSS: I typed this out for a reason...my handwriting is still crappy. Better, but still not good enough for public consumption.

PSSS: Everyone gets over the pink-haired, girly-looking Korean dude thing, so please stop fussing about it.

PSSSS: But people still listen to country. So you just gon have to deal with dat.

PSSSSS: Rock is back, though. But seriously way better than the 2000s...because, yes, that is possible.

PSSSSSS: Oh, and Rina’s still here. She’s old and grey now...but just as much fun as ever. She is literally the one character who will never die. She told me to tell you hi. (And, no, fictional characters do not actually talk in 2041. Except the ones in movies.)

PSSSSSSS: Speaking of movies...there may be one in the works. But no spoilers, you hear me?


Anyway. I better sign off for real now. Love you, me. Bye, me. Have fun living, me. Make sure you meet all your friends in real life, because they are seriously way cooler in person, me. (You’re the one that’s better online.)

And please, whatever you do, don’t stay up past midnight tonight, okay?

 

The Tags




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13 kommentarer


Em Seaver
28. jun. 2021

Thank you so much for the tag, Gracie!


Also we totally should meet up. You're not actually all that far away from me.


Lik
Grace A. Johnson
Grace A. Johnson
28. jun. 2021
Svarer

You're so welcome!


Oh, gosh, yes. We totally should!!!

Lik

Kristianne Hassman
27. jun. 2021

Aww, I love this, Grace!! What a beautiful letter! It's so fun to hear what your dreams for the future are--they sound pretty great! And what a great reminder that no matter what happens, it's all part of God's beautiful story that He's writing for our lives. Thank you for this great post!

Lik
Grace A. Johnson
Grace A. Johnson
27. jun. 2021
Svarer

Thank you, Kristianne! I'm glad you enjoyed reading it! Yes, and amen! You're welcome! :D

Lik

Joy C. Woodbury
27. jun. 2021

Thanks for the tag, Grace! <3

Lik
Grace A. Johnson
Grace A. Johnson
27. jun. 2021
Svarer

You're welcome! Hope you have fun! :)

Lik

Joelle Stone
26. jun. 2021

Pink-haired girly Korean dudes... XD

This was so fun to read, Grace! It's a great idea... *begins drafting letter to self*


Lik
Grace A. Johnson
Grace A. Johnson
27. jun. 2021
Svarer

I'm serious, though. XD

Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it! Ooh, have fun! ;)

Lik

Issabelle P.
26. jun. 2021

Awww, Grace, I LOVED YOUR LETTER TO YOURSELF!!!!!!! First, you really had me cracking up over the flying cars thing... just sayin'. But I really liked what your older self was saying to you about trusting God to take care of everything. I think that's what my younger self would say to me. Anyway, THANK YOU SOOO MUCH for the tag. I shall be putting it on the list for Into My Writing Journey. Still gotta do that other one you tagged me for... I haven't forgotten about it! I'm just slow to doing tags. (Hey, maybe that gets fixed in twenty years... XD) I'm actually really excited to write this after reading Victoria's and your post on it!!! (Also,…


Lik
Grace A. Johnson
Grace A. Johnson
26. jun. 2021
Svarer

I'M SO GLAD! THANK YOU!!!! LOL! I may have laughed out loud a couple times about the flying cars thing too! XD You are SO welcome! I hope you have a TON of fun doing it! I know I did!!! (And I totally feel you about being behind on tags! XD) (Ah, I know! But, unfortunately, even Rina is mortal...*sigh* GIRL, SO AM I! I just hope that actually does happen! XD A girl can dream...)


PSH! I'm sure you are EVEN MORE AWESOME in real life! ;)

Lik

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