This morning I found a new little café tucked away in town.

The kind of place that makes you want to linger and not just work.

White marble tables. Forest green accents. Worn French-style café chairs that looked like they had stories to tell. Vintage details tucked into every corner. Soft gold touches catching the morning light. I ordered an iced vanilla fig matcha latte with almond milk, opened my laptop, and settled in to tackle a long list of editing deadlines.

A normal work morning….or so I thought.

A group of teenage girls sat down at the table next to me, and before long, their conversations quietly became the soundtrack to my morning. They talked about the upcoming school year, hoped they’d have classes together, laughed about teachers, and dreamed out loud about everything waiting for them in the months ahead.

I couldn’t help but smile.

There was so much joy.

So much anticipation.

So much innocence.

For a split second, I wanted to interrupt their conversation… not because they needed my advice, but because I wanted to tell them something so many others had told me before…

You’re going to be okay. And everything will work out how it is supposed to.

Maybe it was the former high school teacher in me.

Or maybe it was just the older version of myself looking back with a little more perspective than I had then.

As I listened, I found myself wondering what my sixteen-year-old self would think if she walked into that café today and saw me sitting there.

A full-time photographer.

A mama to the most beautiful, hilarious, strong-willed little boy.

A wife to a smoking hot husband who somehow manages to be an even better father and partner than I could have dreamed.

A business owner who built something from scratch.

A woman whose life looks different than she imagined… but somehow even better.

And I realized something that caught me off guard.

She wouldn’t just be proud.

She’d be absolutely obsessed with this life.

She’d think we made it.

Which made me ask myself a harder question.

If sixteen-year-old Jenny would be so amazed by the life I’m living…

Why did I walk into that café this morning quietly questioning my worth?

Why was I wondering if I was doing enough?

If I was enough?

It’s funny how quickly we move the finish line.

The dreams we once prayed for slowly become our normal, and before we know it, we’re measuring ourselves against the next milestone instead of celebrating the one we’re standing in.

Maybe that’s why this ordinary coffee shop morning felt so significant.

God used the laughter of a few teenage girls to remind me of something I desperately needed to hear.

The life you’re living today might be the exact life a younger version of you prayed for.

Maybe the purpose you’ve been searching for isn’t hiding somewhere else.

Maybe it’s found in faithfully showing up today.

Maybe you’re not behind.

Maybe you’re not stuck.

Maybe you’re simply in a season that’s growing roots before it grows fruit.

If you’ve been questioning your direction lately, I hope this reminds you to pause for a moment.

Look around.

Remember who you used to be.

Remember what you used to dream about.

Then thank God for how far He’s already brought you.

Because you might just be exactly where you’re supposed to be.

Photos of 16 year old Jenny by Gina Lee Photo