{"id":2365,"date":"2017-09-27T06:00:30","date_gmt":"2017-09-27T10:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thequeenofmyself\/?p=2365"},"modified":"2017-09-08T15:52:23","modified_gmt":"2017-09-08T19:52:23","slug":"remember-when","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thequeenofmyself\/2017\/09\/remember-when.html","title":{"rendered":"Remember When?"},"content":{"rendered":"

SEPTEMBER
\nSeptember marks the beginning of the school year. And even if we have not attended classes in ages, we are still affected through our children and grand kids, as well as our own memories.<\/p>\n

Letter to my 12 year old self<\/em><\/p>\n

Dear Donna,<\/em><\/p>\n

I know you are miserable, sad, scared, angry. You are planning your escape. Good for you for even imagining it! But the time is not yet. Trust in time. Trust in your dreams. Trust that you will live a special life, and most of all, trust that you will finally find happiness. And surprise! That happiness is right there inside of you. It\u2019s there now, but I know you can\u2019t feel it.But I also know that somewhere in your sad little heart lies a smoldering coal of joy. And in just a few years it will ignite and light you with sheer joy. With courage. With competence and confidence. This, I promise, will come to pass. I know this, because it has happened. I am you. And I am happy.<\/em><\/p>\n

Love,\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Donna<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\nRemember…<\/strong><\/p>\n

Remember when:
\nYou were born a daughter.
\nyou looked up to your mother.
\nyou looked up to your father.
\nyou looked up to everyone.
\nyou wanted to be a princess.
\nyou wanted to own a horse.
\nyou wanted your brother to be a horse.
\nyou wanted to wear pink.
\nyou never wanted to wear pink.
\nyou wanted to be a veterinarian.
\nyou wanted to be president.
\nyou wanted to be the president’s\u00a0veterinarian.
\nyou were picked last for the team.
\nyou were the best one on the team.
\nyou refused to be on the team.
\nyou wanted to do well in algebra.
\nyou hid during algebra.
\nyou wanted boys to notice you.
\nyou were afraid the boys would notice you.
\nyou started to get acne.
\nstarted to get breasts.
\nyou started to get acne that was
\nthan your breasts.
\nyou couldn’t wait to wear a bra.
\nyou wouldn’t wear a bra.
\nyou couldn’t fit into a bra.
\nyou didn’t like the way you looked.
\nyou didn’t like the way your parents looked.
\nyou didn’t want to grow up.
\nyou had your first best friend.
\nyou had your first date.
\nyou spent hours on the telephone.
\nyou got kissed.
\nyou got to kiss back.
\nyou didn’t go to the prom.
\nyou went to the prom with the wrong person.
\nyou spent hours on the telephone.
\nyou fell in love.
\nyou fell in love.
\nyou fell in love.
\nyou lost your best friend.
\nyou lost your other best friend.
\nyou really fell in love.
\nyou became a steady girlfriend.
\nyou became a significant other.
\nyou became significant to yourself.
\nsooner or later, you start to take
\nyourself seriously.
\nyou know when you need a break.
\nyou know when you need a rest.
\nyou know what to get worked up about, and
\nwhat to get rid of and you know
\nwhen it’s time to take care of yourself,
\nfor yourself to do something that makes you
\nstronger,faster,more confident.
\nbecause you know it’s never too
\nlate to live life and never too late to change one.<\/p>\n

* ***
\nDonna Henes is the author of The Queen of My Self: Stepping into Sovereignty in Midlife.<\/a> She offers counseling and upbeat, practical and ceremonial guidance for individual women and groups who want to enjoy the fruits of an enriching, influential, purposeful, passionate, and powerful maturity. Consult the MIDLIFE MIDWIFE\u2122<\/a><\/p>\n

The Queen welcomes questions concerning all issues of interest to women in their mature years. Send your inquiries to thequeenofmyself@aol.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

SEPTEMBER September marks the beginning of the school year. And even if we have not attended classes in ages, we are still affected through our children and grand kids, as well as our own memories. Letter to my 12 year old self Dear Donna, I know you are miserable, sad, scared, angry. You are planning…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":218,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,2,6,3],"tags":[278,40,880,879,13,43,68,60],"class_list":["post-2365","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-feminism","category-inspiration","category-spirituality","category-womens-issues","tag-community","tag-empowerment-2","tag-girlhood","tag-growing-up","tag-holistic-living","tag-self-esteem-2","tag-self-love","tag-transformation"],"yoast_head":"\nRemember When? - The Queen of My Self<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thequeenofmyself\/2017\/09\/remember-when.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Remember When? - The Queen of My Self\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"SEPTEMBER September marks the beginning of the school year. 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