By Julia Woodbury

Julia Woodbury Shanna Butler, "Remember to Remember", New Era, March 2011, 16–19


One of my most valuable possessions is a dog-eared bundle of letters that I've written to myself. I wrote the first letter on my 16th birthday. I sealed it up, tucked it in my drawer, and didn't read it until a year later on the night of my 17th birthday. So much had changed in just a year! I had written about my life, describing things I wouldn't have remembered on my own. I had joked with myself, saying that the things I was worrying about then probably wouldn't matter much in a year. I was right.

Best of all, I told myself why I had a testimony. A year later, my words were a timely reminder. As I looked back, I could clearly see how blessed I was and how much Heavenly Father loves me. Excited, I pulled out another piece of paper, and wrote my next letter. With each year, the bundle of letters continues to grow.