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Dear Tulip,
You have been my best friend since before I can remember. You have always been there for me when I needed help. We decided we'd spend the rest of our lives together. Yale law, marriage, kids, houses, apartments and through it all we told each other we would be there. Thelma and Louise. Lorrali and Rory. Best friends forever. Now you have a new boyfriend and he has convinced you to smoke. You have no idea how upset I am right now!
If we want the rest of our lives with each other you NEED to stop. It causes disease, it affects your body, and others too. If you don't under stand this please read on and I'll explain why.
Emphysema. That's all I need to say to get you upset. Your grandpa is suffering through it right now. Do you know why? Because he smoked. That may not happen to you right? Well you could get cancer, lungs, mouth, and throat. If it's of the tongue, you could get it cut out. No more American Idol auditions for you. Your heart is at risk too, heart cancer and heart damage. These are a few things that could happen to you. But this doesn't just affect you , nope, it affects others.
Side stream smoke or second hand smoke are some issues also. These two things are the same and are both dangerous. It can kill others, your parents, your brother, your boyfriend (not that I'm not over being mad at him for starting all of this) and even me. If I hang out with you while you smoke for too long, the tar, rat poison, and other harm full deadly gasses could get in my lungs and kill me. Is that what you want? For me to die? I could. Yah, I didn't think so! If you keep going you'll get addicted eventually right? Well, what about your kids? What about getting married and pregnant? It could kill or distort your baby! Is that what you want too? Mmmmhum. I wouldn't want that either.
It affects others by watching you suffer. Watching you, at 12, almost 13 years old smoking, and seeing you spend twenty after twenty until your broke. We can only pray you don't steal or take out your funds for college out of the bank just to get more poisonous gasses in your body.
It can really affect you bad. Your lungs will turn black and clogged. With each cigarette 7 seconds are taken off your life. 7 seconds! You will go through what a pack a day? So that's 20 cigarettes a day; that's 2 minutes and 20 seconds each day. 16 minutes and 20 seconds PER WEEK! Imagine how much per month, a year, 5 years, a decade, 2 decades? By the time we are as old as our parents, imagine how gunked up your body will be! It will yellow your teeth, and then you'll have to spend more money on teeth whitening toothpaste or strips! Wow, a lot of money wasted if you ask me.
So does any of this sound great to you? Girl, just stop. No body told me the road would be easy and I don't believe he's brought me this far to leave me. That is a very good saying from Mary Mary song. It won't be easy to quit immediately, but you're stronger than that. I know that you know you are stronger than that. If affects you, others and can cause disease. Your my BEST friend. I love you like a sister. We're sisters through Christ right? Well as your spiritual sister I want you to live a long and healthy life. So please stop. Don't continue to smoke or you'll croak.
Sincerely,
Sarah
Pequea, PA