guest post: erika.

hello, loves. i'm still elsewhere, but i'm so thankful and honored
to post this writing from erika. i love her blog, and the things she
posts are full of wonderful writings, intricate, simple, and
stunning alike. i hope you enjoy her post! leave some love:)
♥

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."  — Eleanor Roosevelt

I was thrilled to be asked to write a quest post for Beka. She’s such a sweetheart, and she’s become one of the closest friends I’ve never actually met.

When I first sat down to write, all that kept coming to my mind was Beka’s age. I often think how she is just on the brink of so many of life’s milestones. In just the time that separates her age and mine, she could potentially meet a dashing man who will sweep her off her feet, get her doctorate in some fabulous art major, start a family and have adorable, cuddly babies, or move far from Wisconsin to a foreign land with completely new experiences. She has so much potential. She has so much waiting for her, and it’s at her fingertips even when she doesn’t know it. Fate has funny ways of being unrecognizable until you see it in hindsight.

When I think back to my life at her age, I remember always wanting to see what was just around the bend in my future. I’m so very thankful I could not. There were a lot of twists and turns that landed me where I am today, and some of them were not pleasant. In fact I know, had I been given the choice, that I would have run far away from some of those things. And if I had, my life would have been much different. I doubt, though, that it could be much better, even with the knowledge I have now. Just looking at my marvelous daughter reminds me that the road here was well worth it.

The thing is, I envy Beka’s potential and the fabulous unknowns that will come her way, until I remember- we all have it. It’s why a grandmother in her 80s can get a college degree, or why a new career can start at 50, or why an unexpected pregnancy can complete a family of five. There are plans we make, plans we break, and many things that simply break our plans to pieces. But all of these things together are what make life so beautiful.

Wherever you are at this very moment is not where you will be in a year, or five, or fifty. Life doesn’t leave anyone alone that way, and it’s a good thing. You might change into ten different people before your time on earth is over. While it’s good to live every day like it’s your last, it’s also comforting to remember that it’s likely not your last. That there is still time. That there are things undone, things meant only for you.

That is a beautiful destiny.