In Emily Stimpson Chapman’s latest book Letters to Myself from the End of the World, she chooses the tumultuous time of 2020 to write letters of encouragement and hope to her younger self. Chapman, now 45, writes to her 25 year-old-self, to be exact.
Chapman speaks with clarity on all manners of life and faith. Each three to six page letter starts with a short piece of advice: “Look to the saints. Expect every believer to fall. Holiness is not a self-help plan. The journey will not look like you expect it to look.” She doesn’t shy away from the hard questions about Catholicism or the sin of the world today and instead meets them with hope. She writes honestly about the struggles of her younger self and offers hope and support. She also admits that her older self is not perfect, but no doubt healing has occurred, faith has been strengthened, and fervent prayers have been answered.
Each letter is written sometime between June and November of 2020, a time rife with uncertainties with the pandemic, social upheaval, and the upcoming election. Reading letters from that time was oddly refreshing because even though we still face plenty of hardship today, it’s encouraging to see someone writing about the events of the world at that time with a clear mind and faithful heart. Her writing is filled with good humor and joy, a testament that God’s call to by joyful in the worst of times is not only possible but a way to relieve the suffering of the time.
Chapman’s advice to her younger self is both personal and practical, covering topics such as sacraments, saints, church scandals, sin, social media, prayer, suffering, adoption, motherhood, and long years of waiting. These letters are a testament to the power of prayer and grace.
One piece of wisdom that struck me as particularly well founded was from the letter “Don’t live in the future:”
“Every day you’re alive, the future will stretch out before you, giving you something to anticipate, to think about, to focus on. And because it’s an imaginary future, with no real sufferings or inconveniences in it, it will always be more attractive than the life you’re living. This is why living for the future always breeds discontent with the present. A real imperfect present can never compare to an imagined perfect future.”
I found Chapman’s tone of an older sister or a spunky aunt as a refreshing source of wisdom and encouragement in the vast library of Catholic books. Letters to Myself from the End of the World is an easy read, a source of rejuvenation for anyone who finds themselves weary from current events or their own shortcomings.