There are some things we only understand after living a long time.

At nearly seventy-five years old, I have come to see that not every difference needs to be fixed. Some things simply need to be understood and accepted.

I have been a tomboy for as long as I can remember. As a little girl, I preferred jeans to dresses, practical clothes to frills, and comfort over convention. For many years, I wondered what that meant about me.

Time and faith have taught me that personality, interests, and outward style do not define whether we are male or female. They are simply part of what makes each person unique.

Recently, I wrote these words to a young girl who was struggling to understand herself. But as I read them back, I realized they were also words I wish someone had spoken to me many years ago.

So I am placing them here in The Long Record—for my children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and anyone who may need this reminder:

You do not need to become someone else to be at peace with yourself.

You only need to grow into the person God has been forming all along.