To The Teacher Who Gave Me Everything

To the teacher who gave me everything,

Thank you for your patience with me.

I know I wasn’t always the easiest. I was full of big and powerful ideas, and it took my hands much longer to catch up with my mind. You were that balance. You kept me honest, but you never once told me that I couldn’t do it.

Thank you for your unconditional love.

You are more than a teacher, you are a friend. I went to you more for advice on life than I did for advice on an essay. You gave me so much love, and without you, I would’ve never become the empowered woman that I am now.

Thank you for believing in me.

I’m not the same writer now that I was when I first met you. You helped me grow into more than I ever saw myself becoming. I write without fear. I write uncensored. I write with love. All because you taught me how.

Thank you for standing behind me, even when I couldn’t stand up for myself.

I’ve never told you how much you kept me together, sometimes without even realizing you were doing it. Sometimes, I came to school and your words were the one thing that made me smile. You didn’t always know the struggles I faced, but you were always there nonetheless.

Thank you for all the memories.

Christmas isn’t the same without being at your home, April and May aren’t the same without the stress of the final newspaper edition, and life isn’t the same without you in it.

Thank you for all the countless memories. I’ll carry them forever.

To the teacher who gave me everything, I can’t thank you enough. You gave me more than I will ever be able to give you, and because of you, the universe feels full.

I am forever grateful to know you.