A Letter to My Younger Self

Amira's teacher asked the class to write a letter to themselves to open next year. Amira chose pink paper and a pen with a feather on top. She sat by the window while snowflakes melted on the glass.

Dear Amira, she wrote, I hope you are still friends with Leena even if you argue sometimes. Say sorry fast. It is lighter than carrying a frown. She added, Keep reading Quran even when you only have time for a page. Pages add up like stairs.

She told her future self to be kind to Mama on tired days and to help Baba set the table without waiting to be asked. She wrote about a dua she loved: Rabbi zidni ilma. O Lord, increase me in knowledge.

Amira sealed the letter and gave it to Mama for safekeeping. "Will I change a lot?" she asked. Mama smiled. "You will grow, but your good heart can stay." Amira liked that idea, like keeping a smooth stone in your pocket.

A year later, she opened the letter after Eid breakfast. Some wishes had come true, and some problems had faded. She laughed at her handwriting and wrote a new letter for the next year. Talking to herself, she learned, was a way of talking to Allah about who she hoped to become.