dear mrs. ferragamo

Dear Mrs. Ferragamo,

It has been more than ten years since I sat in your classroom in high school, reading Romeo and Juliet, writing creative stories, and feeling accepted and at home in the school I attended.

High school was never easy for me, but your class was one I looked forward to every day.

You would assign us short stories to write, and at the time, I wrote some rather morbid ones that I know set you on some sort of edge. One day you asked me to stay behind and asked if I was okay. I could feel the concern in your voice checking in on your student to make sure the suicidal piece she had written wasn’t a cry for help.

Honestly, it may have been. I did have suicidal thoughts at some points in high school. I had moments where I felt so outcast that I thought it better to end my life. You were the only person who saw through a small façade.

At that point in my life, I would never have gone through with anything, but you asked and that mattered to me.

The piece to which I am referring, I wrote about my soul floating above my body, while my mom cried over my body and an officer asked questions. It was detailed and dark. It was picturesque and heartbreaking all at the same time. I wish I still had the piece, but all I have are fragments left in my imagination at this point.

But Mrs. Ferragamo, you also lit something in me that I wasn’t ever really sure I had the talent to pursue.

I remember one day throughout the year, you said to me, that one day you would be reading my books. I remember feeling slightly embarrassed and unsure. I remember thinking, I wasn’t that great of a writer. But the truth was right there in front of me. You planted that seed and today I am finally reaching for it.

Writing would be my dream career. To be able to share love and kindness with others which is what you did for me, whether you know it or not. That moment I reflect on and go back to often. You were one of the teachers that saw more in me than I could fully comprehend at the time. And when I go back and think about it, there were more of those moments, those comments, those words of encouragement than I realized then.

I want to thank you for multiple things.:

1.      For having the belief in me and seeing something in me that took me a little longer to get to.

2.      For giving me the roles during the reading sessions because you understood my comprehension and ability to read and engage in advanced literature.

3.      For checking in and making sure I was okay.

4.      For inspiring me to reach further into my heart and chase my dreams.

Wherever you are today, I hope one day this letter finds you and you have the chance to know that you are a big part of the reason I am who I am, but also have the courage to write my heart onto a page.

Love Always,

Riss