Zack

Dear Zack,
You prolly don't remember me, but I'll never forget you. You taught me more than you'll ever know. Four years later and i still think about you nearly every day, i think about what you taught me. You prolly have no idea what I'm talking about, i don't think you ever realized how much what you said affected me. But you helped me so much. Let me remind you....
We were sitting in a booth at a pizza place, talking non stop like we always did. i said something i used to say a lot, i don't remember the exact words but it was something like "i suck at that" or "I'll never be any better". You looked at me for a moment, and said "Why do you do that?" "Do what?" i answered. It never occurred to me that i was doing anything wrong. "You always say you're not good enough, or not smart enough, or not pretty enough. Don't you know you're amazing just the way you are?" i was completely shocked. I'd never been told that i was good enough how i was. i was told i needed to improve so much, that even when the adults stopped saying anything, i was still so critical of myself. i just looked at you, wondering "What does he see that i don't?" You smiled at me, and said "I like you that way you are, you should too." I'd never been told that before. For a girl of 15, being told that by a guy was a big deal. i said "Thank you" and we went back to our conversation, you never mentioned it again, but i still think about what you said. A lot of the time, when i start to say something critical of myself, i think of you. i think "Do i really mean this?" And a lot of the time i don't. So i don't say it, and now i think those things less.
So thank you Zack. You are changing me, even if you don't know it. That little conversation still affects me nearly every day. You are special, and i thank God we had the time He gave us, even if it was only a few years.
Someone once asked me why we didn't ever date. i told them that you were 3 years older, engaged, and that we prolly would have killed each other, we were so different. I'm glad we didn't ever date, what you said means more to me than the things other guys i dated told me. Your words are more real, more comforting, knowing that you truly meant them as a friend.
So Thank You. Thank you for caring, thank you for being my friend. But mostly , thank you for seeing me, and telling me what you see.
Forever,
Rachel