Dear Journal

March 11, 1992
deer journal
today i wrote a letter to my mom it says i love you mommy and we played on the swings. i stayed at my best friends house and we played games until really late. i cant wait to go home though because my mom is making cookies

March 11, 1996
Dear Journal,
My teacher made us write letters to soldiers, I said thank you for serving and be safe. My friend Brian came over and we stayed up late playing video games. My dad has been out of town, he's coming back in a few days. I missed him.

March 11, 2001
Dear Journal,
My Social Studies class is tough. I don't know if I'll be able to pass it, the homework is hard. Our teacher had us writing letters to our congressmen today, we got to choose topics that mattered to us. I wrote about the homeless, asking him to help find jobs so they can have a real life, and get off the streets. After school, I went over to my buddy's house, we hung out all night. He's a good guy. My grandma's coming to visit in a week or so, she's bringing up a puppy!

March 11, 2004
Dear Journal,
Graduation is coming up. We opened letters to ourselves, written in 2000 when a lot of us were freshmen, starting out in High School. I can't even remember writing some of this stuff, it's ridiculous. Amazing how much you grow up in 4 years. My friends are planning a party soon - Kind of a pre-graduation party, I guess. It should be good. I've got a lot of family coming up for graduation; aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents... the whole gang. I can't wait to see them, some of them I haven't seen in quite a while.

March 11, 2010
Dear Journal,
Today, I wrote letters. The worst kind of letters I could imagine writing. My pen seems to move itself: "I wish I didn't have to send this..." No, that won't do. I crumple the paper and start again. "Please don't forget me..." My eyes are beginning to well up... That won't work either. My hands are shaking as I try to think through a clouded mind. How can I say what I feel? It hurts so bad writing these letters. "I hope to God you never have to read this." I wrote, with all the heart I could muster up. The tears are steadily flowing now, and I want nothing more than to hold my loved ones in my arms, one more time. And so I write. I tell them everything I wish I could have before, but never had the courage to. I tell them things I hope they never have to hear.
When I was done, I gathered myself for a moment and went over to my squad-mate's room. When he answered the door, he immediately noticed something was wrong. "You okay, Ryan?" I responded, yeah. No more questions were asked... I didn't want to talk about it. We played some PlayStation, and I knew that he had felt the feelings I was going through before as well. This was easily the most emotional pain I've ever felt, but I was in good company. In short order, we were both happy again.
I can't wait to go home, to see my family and friends again. There is a long road ahead of me, filled with danger and heartache. But I keep thinking of my loved ones, and I feel rejuvenated. I can make it through. I put on my calm face again, and punched my buddy in the arm. "Let's go get something to eat, man."





Writing these has really opened my eyes. If there's anyone that actually reads this out there, please tell the people important in your life just how much they mean to you. Don't let them go another day without knowing for sure that you love them.

Another soldier says he's not afraid to die... I am scared... I'm so scared.