written by Millicent Meadows
A Letter to 15-year-old Me!
Hey beautiful! Yes, you!
I know things don’t look good right now, with you being diagnosed with the skin disease Vitiligo, but trust me, what you see as a burden, in the end will make you stronger. What you don’t know yet is that even though you will see your pigmentation being transformed on the outside, God is working on you in the inside.
During this transformation you will be going through some things that will have you questioning, “Where are you God?” He is there with you now Millie and always will be, which you will come to know as you get older, and your relationship grows with God.
As you walk on various paths during this journey, there will be times when you’ll feel spiritually, emotionally, and physically broken. You will meet people who will take it upon themselves to be dishonest, cause disruption and try to take away any hope that you have had. But you must remember, you will always have a choice not to respond to their words or actions. You must limit the effect they are able to have on you and your surroundings. Even when the Vitiligo becomes visible to people and the stares and whispering becomes uncomfortable, in time Millie your reaction will change to such circumstances.
Besides your family and friends, there will be others that will take this journey with you. God will bring other people with Vitiligo into your life. They will know of the challenges that you will face regarding stares and whispering from people, or fear of entering certain places. Because of this introduction of your second family, you will have more support on this journey.
Millie you are going to achieve great things when it comes to your spiritual and personal lives, employment, and education. But there is one thing you must achieve today, and that is “Self-Love Acceptance.” This is one step you need to take “today,” for your climb to be easier. I know it’s easy for me to say from where I stand right now, because I’ve been through those challenges and then some. You may never reach a place of perfect peace on this earth, but you’ll find peace within yourself knowing you decided to take that step.
Millie, I want you to look at the women in your family, such as your mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Women who stood upright and bold in their beliefs. I want you to remember the stories that have been told to you and those to come by your mother about your grandmother, and your grandmother stories about her mother. I want you to remember the troubling times they faced, but remained faithful knowing things were going to be alright. But if there is anything you inherit from their stories; inherit the courage from your great-grandmother, the wisdom from your grandmother and the spiritual foundation from your mother.
So, as you look at that beautiful face in the mirror every day and sometimes ask yourself, “What is today going to be like?’ Remember as mommy would say, “this too shall pass.”
Love you always,
Millie