This is for you
Fran.
I suppose no one else could understand
except for you.
Then again, I suppose this is what makes you who you are.
This is why –
I love you
and this is why everyone who meets you
Loves you as well!
It is a milder day than the days before. I have ne too many things on my plate, which is nothing new to people like us.
This is life.
And we live here, every day.
(for now)
The sunrise was something to see this morning. And yet, this is another morning, “After the fact,” to which I mean, today is another day after another interaction, which would have never happened, had it not been for you.
Nothing is the same without you around though.
You know?
My lecture went well and the students were receptive.
But noting feels the way it feels like when I look over and see you watching me as I share my story. And nothing beats the way you look at me with pride.
And like I said, I suppose no one would know what this feels like
except for you
(of course)
and maybe this is why you opened the door for me
so I could walk through.
I don’t know what it’s like for someone else to meet me for the first time.
And I don’t know what other people think or assume, —not unless they tell me, of course. But even still, my interpretation might not always match someone’s intention.
Either way, I have to say this:
There are people in this world who come along. And they are true and precious. They are the beautiful rarities that come when we need them the most.
This is you.
And there are some who come along as if it is their job breathe spirit into the lungs of those who lost their breath.
This is you too.
I cannot tell you what you have done for me.
Then again, and above all, this is the greatest part about you—
You already know what you have done, which is why you opened doors for me
to let me walk through
The space you built and shared with me –
This place which you have allowed me to explore –
The opportunity you’ve given me, to let that child in me climb out so he can play or realize that yes, it’s safe now, —no one can hurt me anymore.
You have shown love and kindness in a way that only Angels know how
And yet, I swear, even the Angels look from overhead and admire what you do.
Not even the Angels in Heaven can love, care, and inspire others like you do.
Please know –
You let me have my voice.
You made it safe for me to step forward and tell my story.
You gave me a stage to reach out to those who want to find their future in working with people.
Mental health. I swear, it’s a crazy trip.
And I know you don’t like the word crazy
But it’s okay, Fran.
The word fits perfectly for now.
My story is not for the faint of heart.
My delivery is not easy for someone to stomach.
And no, I suppose I am not for the masses or mild or for those who have weak constitutions.
I remember the first class . . .
I remember the teachers gathered.
I remember the students watching me as I walked around the room.
and I remember you
Man, nothing was as meaningful to me about that day.
They never saw someone like me before.
And to be honest, I’m not even sure how this came about.
I don’t know how this happened.
But I do know this
you were there to push me ahead.
Fran,
You are more than a teacher and more than a professor and more than a friend.
You are more than a voice in my heart.
You are more than an inspiration and even more than any of these; you are an Angel on Earth.
And so . . .
to me, you are a voice and a soul and an influence that has saved my life.
So help me, God.
No one knows what it’s like or what goes on in someone else’s mind.
We talk about this, you and I.
And we talk about this often.
We both agree with the saying “Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always.”
This is a quote from Robin Williams who is another inspiration to me.
I suppose this is why his untimely death was hard for me.
It was hard because Williams was open about his struggles with mental health.
And then one day, he chose to go.
But too many people needed him to stay.
You somehow know when people are at that point.
And you somehow come in like an Angel of Mercy.
You somehow shed light on the darker side, —and this helps us.
Your light is our guidance.
This helps us see things, like say, maybe there is a way out of this “crazy” place.
Or maybe there is hope.
Or in my case, maybe the lies I’ve been told are not true and maybe, just maybe, I can dare to be great. Maybe there is something about me because someone like you would have never noticed this, if this was was not true.
Maybe I can do more than I’ve ever dreamed.
And of course, I can
This must be so because when people have someone like you behind them, then they have an Angel on their shoulder.
And this is what makes people unstoppable.
You –
I am so grateful.
By the way –
One of the students from your previous class (two years ago) approached me last night.
She said she remembered me.
She told me that she thinks about that class we did all the time.
She started to cry.
She told me that she wanted me to know what I had done for her.
I had to think about this.
I had to because it’s not that I did or said anything . . .
But more, this is an extension of you.
You know how to weave people together so that we can help each other and be better together
You allow us to go and grow and to achieve more than we ever dreamed of.
You do this
In my life, I never believed—not in a million years that “Someone like me” would be doing college lectures.
But I am . . . and I am who I am now because of someone like you
The world is a better place
because of you
so before I go on even more,
Let me just say this here
Thank you
This is for you, Fran.
Always
The Written Addiction 