Snapshots. Memories.
A lifetime to say hello, a moment to say goodbye.
You know that you are starting with nothing, and struggling to build.
You’ve studied and scrambled for every break you get.
Being the young one is tough sometimes. At least it’s only a number.
Needing help from others is not a sign of weakness, but of opportunity that you are blessed with.
It’s difficult to close the door on the people who hurt you.
It’s worse to know that you’re being the bigger person and bleeding inside.
You struggle through each and every moment, pretending to be happy.
Speak up.
[Listen to: Photograph: Nickelback, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BB0DU4DoPP4
It isn’t going to be the end of the world to be known as the girl who spoke her mind.
You’ll see that tomorrow comes even if you end today completely mortified.
Being the girl who has to leave prom for medical reasons is one way to be remembered.
You’ll know that no matter what happens, you must keep in touch with yourself.
You’ll stay strong, be proud, and sing along to every song that blasts from the cheap radio.
Dance even through it is raining, scream because it hurts, and love because you can.
Staying strong is about so much more than making sure that everyone else is okay.
You have to be whole first.
[Listen to: Headstrong: Trapt, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTvu1Yr3Ohk
Your cocoon will soon be bursting open as you kiss the small-town life goodbye.
Leaving to go to college is something that you’ve longed for since junior high.
You’ve known all along that you were going to dash away the first chance you got.
Minimizing connections, trying hard to make sure that you do just enough to seem normal.
You struggle with the concept that you may someday need to come back to this place.
Remember, the world is an entire globe, not the tip of one pin.
Raise your voices, raise them high will do more than be a song lyric.
It will be the way to live.
[Listen to: Raise Your Voices: Girls State Song, (I am NOT filming this epic performance, but can do it!)
Beauty isn’t about the money people spend on clothes or the time they spend putting on makeup.
You’ve realized a long time ago that you’re surrounded by ugliness of the soul and heart.
The people who want to change you, make you into something you’re not are soon forgotten.
Simply because they themselves have decided to get lost…in the world of pretty facades.
They lose themselves into the bottles and cans of alcohol that are so freely available
And fail to recognize the true potential of what they could be, if only…
[Listen to: Breakaway: Kelly Clarkson, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-3vPxKdj6o
The songs of childhood, so simple and sweet.
The songs of adolescents make your parents wonder what sort of monster you’ve hidden inside.
As you turn it up, simply to drown everything out, you don’t realize the scope of your actions.
You’re tuning out far more than other people, you’re reverting to a time of simplicity.
The times alone mean so much, for you finally get to think.
The only interruption is the brief pause between songs.
Your chin quivers as you think about the pain you went through over the past several years
You write, scribble, write, scribble, and are unsure of what to say to wash the pain away
Your commencement address is one that contains nothing of what you want to say
But the hidden message is very clear to those you hold dear:
Run away. Don’t invest your time, your love, your passion here. The small town kills it all.
The people are poison. They invite you in, pretend to be polite.
Acceptance is only for those who join in their crusade. For the others, you’ll never be allowed in.
[Listen to: Kryptonite: 3 Doors Down, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPU8OAjjS4k
But does it matter? You can decide. You’ll make choices you’ll regret, but you’ll learn.
Each and every step, every boy you kiss, and every time your heart breaks, you see.
It will only lead you into becoming a stronger woman that others will never understand.
This may seem like gibberish now, but bear with me, for only time can tell.
You’ll make mistakes, to be sure. You’ll hurt in ways I can’t explain, but you’ll persevere.
No matter what comes your way – and trust me, it’ll come – you will be able to stand your own.
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