To the substitute teacher who made me believe in myself:

Not a single day goes by that I do not think of you and the valuable lessons you taught me in the later months of my senior year of high school. Even though I did not have you as a real teacher, I am so grateful of the short time I had with you. I don't think I could have come to terms about my future and who I was if it was not for you.

In the spring semester of my senior year, our class received an English substitute teacher, who in all honesty, scared us. When you came in and introduced yourself I saw a certain kindness in your eyes, which later shown through your heart and actions inside and outside of the classroom. On many occasions you spoke to us about the difficult past and the outcome from that into becoming the strong and independent woman you are today.

You opened my eyes to what I could be, what I could do, and in a certain way that I would have never thought. You gave me comfort in my own soul and you brought me to peace with myself and the hardships that we both went through seemed to have aligned with each other. There were so many life lessons that you incorporated in your teachings. I remember being able to relate many times with you in the quotes you would say and in the experiences you shared and I truly thank you for that.

I want you to know that it will be okay and you're going to find the place in which you belong and where you can make a difference in many more lives than just mine. Times get tough, but I learned from you that if you are patient, life will hand you lemons in which you will make lemonade out of.

Thank you for always being genuine. Thank you for accepting my uniqueness and values. Thank you for always being patient. Thank you for your time. Thank you for listening. Thank you for being the few great teachers out there. May you continue to inspire others in the way that you constantly inspired me.

Lastly, I leave you with the same quote you once told me:

"Our destiny is not determined by the number of times we stumble, but by the number of times we rise up"

Your friend,

Andrei Antonescu