To My Kindergarten Teacher

I was timid and nervous to be in a strange new place, away from home and everything familiar.

The five-year-old-me found comfort in your wide, friendly face, thoughtful eyes, and the sweet, musky fragrance of your perfume.

How I wish the sixty-eight-year-old-me could tell you how your kindness and scent carried me through that year and into the rest of my life.

I still wonder if you knew how grateful I was -- I am.

I pump the hand soap into my palm, and the memory of you wafts up, encircling my head, infusing my heart.