[upbeat brass music]
- John Cruitt: We talked about
decorating the Christmas tree
when I came home from school that day.
But I walked into the living room,
and my aunt was there.
And she said, "Well, honey, Mommy passed away this morning."
And I remember at my mother's wake,
someone in my family came to me and said,
"Johnny, your teacher's here."
- Cecile Doyle: When I found out she died,
I could certainly relate to that,
because when I was 11, my own father died.
And you just don't know
how you're going to go on without that person.
- John: When I returned to school,
you waited until the other children left the room
at the end of the day,
and you told me that you were there if I needed you.
And you bent over and kissed me on the head.
It was really the only time someone said to me,
"I know what you're feeling, and I know what you're missing."
And I felt, in a very real way,
that things really would be okay.
- Cecile: Well, John, I really loved you as a student,
and I'm so glad that I could be there with you for that time.
- John: Many years later, when I became a teacher,
I started to think more and more about you.
And I started to think to myself, "Here I am,
"with a memory of a teacher who changed my life,
and I've never told her that."
And that's why I finally wrote this letter:
"Dear Mrs. Doyle,
"If you are not the Cecile Doyle who taught English
"at Emerson School in Kearny, New Jersey,
"then I'm embarrassed,
"and you can disregard the sentiments that follow.
"My name is John Cruitt,
"and I was in your third grade class
"during the 1958-1959 school year.
"Two days before Christmas, my mother passed away,
"and you told me that you were there if I needed you.
"I hope life has been as kind to you as you were to me.
"God bless you, always.
With great fondness, John."
- Cecile: And your letter could not have come
at a better time
because my husband had Parkinson's,
and he was going downhill.
And I had just come home from the hospital,
and I read this beautiful letter,
and I just was overwhelmed.
- John: Well, the funny thing is
when I finally wrote to you again after 54 years,
I typed the letter.
I was afraid my penmanship
wasn't going to meet your standards!
Well, after all this time, Mrs. Doyle,
all I can say to you is: thank you.
- Cecile: John, what can I say, I'm just glad
that we made a difference in each other's life.
["Grey Grey Joe" by Blue Dot Sessions]