A Precious Encounter

This story isn't one of fiction, but a real life blessing. People come and go. Some people come into our lives only to turn out to be a lesson, others cross our path to help us get somewhere. But there are some, rare as they are, who come into our lives because they were meant to, at this precise moment in time, for a reason. These rare gems are the people who are indispensable, and who never leave your side no matter what. They are worth it all, they are worth opening up to, trusting, being vulnerable with, sharing both laughter and tears with, and genuinely caring for. If everyone in the world was like this, then we wouldn't find ourselves having meaningful relationships with anyone now would we? Everybody would be exactly the same, no one would stand out from the crowd. But luckily, that is not the case. Even when it may not seem like it, not everybody is terrible, but not everybody is sweet like sugar either. Now that I really have gotten a taste of what the world is really like, I now know that it is much harsher than I was sheltered to believe. Some people have a dark side, even those you've known your whole life. But I also know that some people can quite literally save you in so many ways,

they can heal all the wounds that threaten to consume you, they become the very light at the end of the tunnel.

    I am so incredibly lucky to have been blessed with such an encounter. After going through a very difficult year with people who hurt me, from August of 2022 until August of 2023, I met my now favorite teacher, on the 30th of August 2023. From the very first day with her, she saw something in me, she saw a vulnerable and hurt heart who needed her. When we began getting closer, she saw the real me. And as the months flew by, we began getting closer and closer, until one day, I allowed her to see the parts of myself that I had hidden from everybody else. She quickly became the only person I wholeheartedly trust, express myself to, run to if anything happens, and show my true emotions to. Since the very first day I met her, I felt a wave of warmth fill my heart, she was sunshine, but as a person, standing right in front of me. She saw me at my darkest hour and at the lowest point in my life. From the first day, she saw right through me, like an open book. She knew what was wrong, she knew what I felt, what I thought of, she saw someone who needed her. And since then, she never let me go. The more I trusted her, the closer we got. The day I finally didn’t hold anything back was the day everything had changed: she became like a mother to me. I was so afraid of allowing myself to feel the comfort of her presence because I was afraid of letting my guard down and feeling vulnerable. But she showed me that it didn’t have to be this way. She was there for me when no one else was, and she understood me as if she had access to my mind, not even my own family members made me feel this level of comfort. She showed me that it didn’t have to be the way that I imagined feeling vulnerable would be like, because she truly does care for me. 9th grade was probably the lowest point in my life, as the months went by, it just kept getting worse and worse until it finally blew up in my face in the most terrible way, but she was there to stop me from losing myself even when I believed that I was a lost cause. She quite literally saved me. She didn’t go against me as everybody always did and still does, she stood right beside me, holding my hand, and never letting go. 

  This woman is the most motherly person to me, she always comforts me and defends me no matter what. She is the one who held me as I cried in her arms, she was the only one who was able to calm me down. She knew everything that nobody else did. The worst things that have happened, the worst thoughts that I’ve had, she knew them all and made sure that I knew that she wasn’t going anywhere. It is to her that I owe it all. I would’ve lost myself if it wasn’t for her. If she hadn’t been here, I would’ve been completely helpless. It is thanks to her that I didn’t give up, I continued to hold on for dear life, for her. She brings out the very best in me, she is the only person who genuinely worries about me and wants the best for me. She knew how to get me to where I’m supposed to be as a person, the right way. If I were to choose between her and the world, I would choose her in a heartbeat. I don’t think she’ll ever truly know just how much she means to me because there aren’t enough words in any language, to describe it. As a matter of fact, I’m more than certain that she is the only person in the universe who really does know me inside and out, who has seen me at my worst and held my hand through it all, who has only ever been the most genuine and sincerely pure hearted person to ever walk into my life, the only person whose actions really spoke louder than words, the only person who has seen the real me with all her sensitivities, thoughts, and emotions. She will always be the only person I will ever trust the way I do. She has had the most significant impact on me. She taught me to see the glass as half full and not half empty, she showed me that not everyone is terrible and not everyone has a dark side. I cannot ever begin to describe just how much my heart melts at the very sight of her, she is as warm as sunshine and is undeniably the most peaceful and comforting person I have ever met. No matter how terrible a situation was, no matter how

terrible I was feeling, no matter how sad and upset I was, no matter what, she has never not once judged me or made me feel insignificant. She has made me feel seen in a way that nobody else has. The level of compassion and empathy that she possesses are truly admirable. She

understands me and listens to what I have to say without ever making me feel neglected. She is the only person who has ever validated my feelings and emotions and who has truly cared for me. I am very lucky to be able to say that she is still in my life. I don’t know what I would do without her, she has given my life a meaning, and she gave me a reason to continue fighting for myself. She has been my rock in the most threatening storms, in the most turbulent seas. 

  Sometimes I think of what would’ve happened to me if she never came to my school, what would’ve happened to me if I didn’t have her by my side during the most trying times that I have faced so far. I know for a fact that I wouldn’t have still been holding on right now, I would have let go a long time ago, and my world would’ve gone up in flames. She is the reason that I have been able to stand back up on my feet after being shattered to pieces, time and time again. She gave me a thousand reasons to hold on. I look up to her every single day, she is my role

model. I know that I will never be able to be the person she is, but I admire her for everything that she is. I consider myself as blessed to have her in my life because one person really can make the biggest difference. It reminds me of the butterfly effect, “a butterfly flapping its wings in Brazil could bring about a tornado in Texas”. My butterfly effect would be this. If she hadn’t moved to my school when she did, I would have been completely lost, gone, beyond ever being

found. Luckily, that was not the case. There aren’t enough words to describe how much I appreciate her for everything she has done for me. She is my inspiration, my motivation, my reason to keep going, and I owe it all to her for catching me every time I fell, for being right beside me every time I needed her, for showing me that not all is terrible, and that happiness can be found in the smallest of things or gestures, for being my lighthouse and guiding me back to the safe shores if I found myself in the middle of an ocean of troubles, for understanding me so deeply even though I don’t even understand myself, for always protecting me from people with negative intentions, for always making me feel safe and know that I can trust her no matter how bad something is, for knowing if I was alright just by looking at my face, for bringing out the very best in me, for being like a “second mother” … the list just goes on without an end. All of my best moments of pure joy and happiness and relief were around her. In a world full of chaos, confusion and cruelty, she is my sense of peace and calm. This proves that the way a person acts and feels depends on the people in their life, meaning that I won’t act and feel the same way I do with her if I was around people who are like vacuums who consume the life out of me. Traditionally, people don’t notice the sweet and pure things they have in their lives, until one day, it suddenly disappears, and they end up feeling incredibly empty and shattered, regretting every moment they took for granted. I, however, am not one of those people who take the small, sweet things they have in their life, for granted. From my experience, I know how shattering it is to not notice the small, good things in your life until the day they aren’t there anymore. I have spent so much time worrying about the future, while the present was slipping away. I have lost many things that I could’ve appreciated more if I hadn’t been worrying about everything. Even though I can’t change the way I overthink the future, I still can fully be present in the moments I’ll get once again this year with my favorite teacher, and I can only hope that by some miracle, time could slow down if only just a little bit, giving me more time. Sometimes people come into your life and change everything, they appear unexpectedly like a blessing. You didn't even know you needed them, or that you had cried out silently to them. They appear when you needed them most, and you become someone you would never have been without them. I can’t imagine not knowing this wonderful woman, a truly pure hearted and genuine person. She changed everything for me, I was finally able to communicate and talk about my feelings because of how safe I felt with her. I am never able to express myself when it comes to my feelings and emotions because it scares me, but with her I won’t ever be afraid because she is my sense of home. My favorite teacher was the light at the end of the tunnel, she pulled me out of the dark. I never thought I could find peace, even if it was for an hour or two, but I did. She is my peace.

“It was only a sunny smile, and little it cost in the giving, but like morning light it scattered the night and made the day worth living.”

F. Scott Fitzgerald