Dear Class of 2021,

               Goodness, I’ve written letters to the seniors every year I’ve coached, and this year, I don’t know how to begin. How can I offer encouragement, insight, or support to a group that has had to endure so much in their final year of school?

               My first inclination is to tip my hat to you. This past year (almost exactly, in the U.S.) has been a rollercoaster of unknowns and unpredictable factors. All the things that you might’ve anticipated with joy for your grand finale have been cut short, and they may’ve been cut from your junior year, too.

               I don’t know how to use words to honor you for your effort to do what many adults have struggled to do: keep pushing ahead with grace and hope.

               We’ve asked a lot of you: get your homework done, stay focused while sitting and staring at a box of images all day, continue to make plans when no plans are set, and, most of all, take care of yourself. That’s a hefty list under the best of circumstances. This year, the demands have heightened while resources and opportunities have decreased or received restrictions.

               I hope you’ve learned more quickly than many of us (okay, me. I’m talking about me.) that nothing can be taken for granted. When life becomes difficult, admitting the difficulty is necessary to keep a healthy mindset. Denying the pain of change and loss doesn’t help; making it into something it’s not or trying to rush to the happy ending rarely results in the happiness we’d like. So much has turned upside down, and “normal” isn’t normal anymore.

               Maybe this time hasn’t felt glorious or as empowering as you’d like it to be. Maybe it’s been plagued with loneliness, depression, frustration, or grief. Maybe you’ve felt the loss not only of your own dreams but of the losses of those close to you, whether friends or family. Maybe you’ve dealt with your own health concerns as the whole world has panicked about how to handle them. No matter what has come your way, in the middle of the crisis and the growing pains, I can confirm this: if you are reading this, you have grown.

               Time is a tricky thing to measure because it isn’t kept to minutes, seconds, or months. It often warps to our perception, with some moments feeling like lifetimes and other lengthier times feeling like blips on our radar. If there’s anything you take from this, please don’t try to measure yourself according to a list of accomplishments, goals, or expectations for what others may say should have happened this year. You have made it – you ARE making it – and while the mud can be blurry and disheartening, making it here is something to celebrate.

               The world not only awaits you but begs you to step into it without fear. As you go, I hope you can remember a few things:

1. You have value. You are made beautifully, in God’s image, and that is enough. You don’t need to count accomplishments or make excuses for why things didn’t go the way you planned. You, right here, right now, have value that cannot be measured. You’re not perfect, and there may be things you’d like to do or understand differently, but nothing you do will unsettle your marvelous value in God’s eyes.
2. People, like you, have value. Many will talk down to you, try to cheer you into being different, or reveal their own brokenness in the process of doing life with you. Often, when other brokenness runs into ours, conflict ensues. Just as you need grace, help, and support, so do they. Don’t call names or make fun of them as they struggle to do life with their own set of baggage. We are all on the same level, attempting to make do with what we have. That, with the understanding that each of us is made in God’s image, can help you relate to them in a way that gives life rather than snuffs it out.
3. Take one day at a time. The best news for this season might be that you don’t have to have it all together, and that it’s okay to not be okay. You aren’t asked to manage tomorrow, to make all your life’s plans, or to determine other people’s choices. You answer for yourself, and you only have today before you. Use it well, whether that calls for discipline, for rest, or for service.

I don’t know why this past year has been allowed to go the way it has. Whether the inevitable result of a buildup of events or a number of freak accidents, this year has been one to challenge or break us. You, Class of 2021, have chosen to rise to the challenge. That may’ve looked like powering ahead or moving more slowly. You may’ve picked up your broken pieces, or you may’ve felt yourself become stronger.

Whatever happened for you, I only hope we can continue to support you as you move forward through it all.

Hang in there. We’re cheering for you.

Rebekah