For more than 20 years, the author has written love letters, birthdays and even divorce orders by order.

Love needs many things, including honesty, dedication, trust, patience and generosity. It also needs words, but it’s not always easy to find the right ones. Some people have the talent or facility to express themselves through them, but others, no matter how intense and genuine they are, find it difficult and need someone to help find exact phrases that express what they really feel.

O awesome.club contacted Mónica Paterno and wants to share her story with you. She is an author who discovered that her talent could be useful to other people and, since then, she writes letters to order for those who have something important to say, but don’t know how to say it.

Mónica and her family (photo courtesy of the author)

Sometimes vocation takes us down unexpected paths. Mónica Peterno, an Argentine professor who loves literature, has dedicated herself to writing fiction and commissioned articles on culinary topics, drinks and other projects. But her mother’s love opened a door that, until then, she hadn’t considered, and her life was never the same.

“When my eldest daughter was about to turn 15, I decided to write her a letter. After that, many mothers of my daughters’ friends told me that they wanted to do the same, but that they didn’t know how to express themselves with words. I offered help and, as the result was very good, since everyone was delighted, I realized that I had found a new path for my vocation, ”she said.

Since that time, in the late 90s, Mónica has been dedicated to being an interpreter for those who, eager to express their feelings through writing, could not find a way to do so. The letters you are asked for have a wide range of themes: birthdays, weddings, declarations of love and even forbidden feelings.

“The process of writing a letter works like this: first, the person contacts me and we organize an interview, which can be face-to-face, by phone or by videoconference. So, I start asking a lot of questions, until the time comes when the interviewed person surrenders, as if something in him had clicked, and I can understand him, know how he is, what he feels and unravel the words which is hidden”.

So Monica is ready to write the letter. And she does it from the person she is helping, as if she were in their shoes. For her, words “are symbols that help to get to know the other, to decipher him, to recognize him”.

As an author, Mónica’s influences are diverse. “I can name Richard Bach, Alfonso Lara Castilla, Anthony De Mello, Elsa Bornemann, Juan Manuel Cotta… Those are the first ones that come to mind, but there are many others.”

“The letter that cost me the most to write was a request for divorce. It was for a woman who had asked me for several letters for her children. When we first met, I didn’t know the nature of the message we were going to work on. She wanted to tell her ex-husband very hard things, so that was an intense experience.”

“I also find it difficult to write letters in which people have to express unpleasant feelings. But in those cases, I must be faithful to the person’s request, because the writing must reflect what they really feel.”

“I also had to write letters in which a mother with a serious illness decides to leave a message for her children so that they can read it when she is no longer there.”

“I really like the letters to people who turn 60, 70 or older, because then I can compile moments from their lives. There’s a lot to evoke and I can tell funny or heartwarming stories. I think those are the ones I enjoy the most. 🇧🇷

Mónica also remembers with joy the letter she wrote for the 18th birthday of a very naughty boy, who had dozens of crazy memories. She laughed a lot as she wrote, and the letter turned out beautifully.

Since multiple sclerosis was detected 17 years ago, Monica’s motor skills have become increasingly limited. However, she continued her work, using the help of her assistant or a program on her computer that writes down what she dictates.

Despite the difficulties, Mónica managed to publish a book with a compendium of the stories written to order and will soon publish another called firefighters from heavenin which she recounts, sometimes appealing to humor, her relationship with multiple sclerosis.

Writing, however, is not his only passion in life. This incredible woman also loves travel and adventure. She met the Dalai Lama and, undeterred by her physical difficulties, flew a paraglider, demonstrating that multiple sclerosis does not prevent anyone from venturing out.

Mónica, without a doubt, is passionate about life and words, and this clearly explains the direction her career has taken. Because, in short, that’s what she does: put words into people’s lives. We could also say the opposite: it gives life to the words of others.

Have you ever sent a letter? To whom? Did you receive any that touched you deeply? Please tell us in the comments.