(A post in response to Podcast Ep. 34: Dear Younger Me)

Today Lilly asked to watch "Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus" and it took me back to those days when I had another young girl who watched a different Barbie movie everyday. This one happened to be a favorite. I don't think it's a coincidence that this was the episode for the podcast for the week.

Do you ever wish you could go back to yourself and give your younger self a message?

In a moment of quiet, this is what I'd love to tell her.

hey Meggan.

You don't know it yet, but your life is about to explode with crazy.

You've just moved back to Tennessee from Chiropractic School. You are going to embark on helping your hubs begin his own practice. Being a small business owner will be something that is a trademark of your life, and it's going to be hard. The best things usually are, and it will be a major roadblock to different goals you have personally, but oh the lessons you are going to learn. You're going to see your husband shine as a healer. He has a natural gift of healing, and his gift will bless so many people. Your marriage will be a strength to you. You are best friends and he will always support you in all your hare-brained big dream ideas. Together you're going to learn what trusting in God looks like. He is always going to give you exactly what you need. It's going to be frustrating and most days you'll wish everything didn't come quite down to the line, but you will see the goodness of your life that flows from HIM.

You don't know it yet, but you've been learning photography and it's going to give you purpose outside your home and allow you to help pay your bills for those first few years. You are going to master the art of learning. Everything you learn will eventually build on each other and lead you to put together this little podcast with your sisters, and you will feel fulfilled with all the people that your voices help. You're going to take that love of learning and study more. You'll study scripture, and listen to podcasts and read all the books. You will love working with the youth. You'll chaperone all the trips, camps and conferences. You'll lead and teach them of how you see Jesus.

You don't know it yet, but these souls you are holding are great souls - all 5 of them. Crazy, right? They will all be unique but incredible. They are going to push you to your limits, and they will have moments when they drive you crazy. Okay, a lot of moments they drive you crazy, but seeing their journey into becoming who they are meant to be will be one of the greatest joys of your life. You will spend so many days chasing and just nudging them back on the path to Jesus. It will be exhausting, and your body will pay the price for your neglect. There will be moments when you wonder if the cost was too high, but they are always worth it and it's only for a season. There will be lots of songs sung, and backs scratched. You're going to balance it all, sometimes better than others. Through it all you'll learn what it means to rely on Jesus. You won't be able to walk this road without His help, and His power to sustain you through the long days, but the more you lean on Him, the more you'll learn who He is.

That knowledge is worth everything.

You don't know it yet, but your parents will both struggle with their health in their early 60's. It will make you mad, and you won't understand. Your dad will be struck down with Lyme disease and Parkinsons, and your family will feel fragmented and broken because you won't know how to manage his needs. He will need quiet and peace to heal, and your life is anything but that. Your mom will become a caretaker, so it will feel like somedays you've lost both of them, and not just one. You will feel like they got robbed their golden years, but it will ignite in you the determination to move and be healthier. It doesn't mean you don't angry cry about it - a lot. You will grow closer with your siblings as you learn to rely on each other better. And you will be inspired by your parents never ending faith to trust God even when their plan doesn't match His. You will be in awe that they never lose hope. You will be super grateful that God blessed you with parents that are always teaching through how they live, even the road seems impossible.

You don't know it yet, but how you view your life and your family will help to shape and create the future. You will have so many moments of hard, but choose instead to spot the miracles. Your life will be full of incredible relationships. Your sisterhood with other women in your path will be a source of inspiration and strength, both those of your family and outside of your family. You will be surrounded by support and earthly angels that help carry you, and your family. You will grow in faith and walk by inspired action. Life is never perfect, but yours is because you can rely on Jesus. We are whole through Him. He takes our meager efforts and makes it enough. Beautiful, even.

Hang in there (and hold on for the ride).

Don't forget to turn to Him in the moments of hard. He's waiting for you.

Until next time...

Keep striving and we'll see y'all soon.

❤️Megg