My district began using a curriculum that we were even required to utilize during summer school a couple years ago. One of the first required pieces scheduled for the first day of summer school is a “letter to my younger self” written by an NBA Hall of Famer. I’d never heard of The Player’s Tribune, but it’s pretty cool…

I read aloud David Robinson’s mentor text, and we discuss the author’s writing moves: the short sentences, the one line sentences, the italics, etc. Then, we begin drafting our own letters, and I write alongside my students. Robinson’s own letter made me consider the elders in my life who’ve poured into me, often in quite practical ways. In addition to just about every moment being turned into a life lesson, my Tita has also blessed me in tangible ways I’m unable to keep a tally of.

My maternal grandmother turns 90 years old tomorrow. She is a force to be reckoned with, and I know I am lucky to have her close. I could never fashion a post just right to thank, celebrate, or honor our matriarch; however, part of my drafted letter during summer school revealed a vulnerable moment I experienced with my grandmother over a decade ago, so I thought I’d share it as an example of her generosity and wisdom.

*Please note I’m sharing the raw, unedited, stream of consciousness, wrote in front of students version.

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Letter to My Younger Self

Dear 19 year old Brittany,

Despite everything your family has gone through, you’ve had it pretty easy, kid. You are loved and supported and taken care of.

You have been raised in a family of unbelievably strong women.

Powerful women.

Fierce women.

Your middle school years were filled with poor self-esteem and lack of confidence. Those days seem like a blur, huh?

You haven’t even fully embraced your confidence yet! At 19, you think you’re grown. You’re driving around in your red Mustang, working as a Starbucks barista, enjoying life.

You’re back in Houston now because you missed home. You missed homemade cooking. You missed your hometown.

Where you open the front door to dog’s breath humidity in your face. Where it never snows, except when it does. Where you can find the best burgers, BBQ, and Mexican food.

But you’ll get too comfortable.

Because these are your stomping grounds.

Because you see the family whenever you want.

Because you live with mami again.

One day you’ll get an email notifying you that you owe $900 to the University of Houston by 5:00 PM that day.

How could you forget?

You spent so much of your time readjusting to being home that you forgot your responsibilities. You will panic. You will not have $900 dollars. You will wonder how you’ll make it. You will feel overwhelmed at having to explain to mami why you aren’t enrolled in classes for the fall semester.

How could you forget?

And after the paralysis melts away, you will pursue solutions. Mami doesn’t answer the phone, and really, you know what she’ll tell you anyway. So, you will pull yourself together. You make the mile drive from your house to Tito and Tita’s house. Tito, in front of the television per usual, lights up when he sees you; Tita continues deep cleaning, asks how you are and why you’ve stopped by and what your plans are for the day. You’ll sheepishly request you need to talk to her about something serious. Sitting at the kitchen table, you confess you’ve made a horrible mistake.

She gives you the $900.
And a lecture.

Keep these talks close to your heart and never take them for granted. Tita loves to tell her stories, and there is always something to be learned from them. It is the absolute least thing you can do since she will never require that you pay her back. In fact, she will tell you that the payback is succeeding. She will explain her investment beliefs, but she will warn against making the same mistake twice.

And you are relieved.

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It’s an unfinished piece I’m unsure I’ll ever revisit, but to the woman – alongside my grandfather – who raised a family of five incredible women (my momma included!) and 16 grandchildren, may I be a quarter of the noble, reflective, selfless human you model in everything you do. While your tangible blessings have surely impacted me, it’s your nuggets of wisdom and the fluid way you move on this earth with confidence and grace that I admire so greatly.

Happy birthday to my Tita!!!