Mailbag 48

Dearest Mr. Vai:

I hope this letter reaches you and the people who love you. I am one of those people who love you, and I don’t mean that I’m a fan, I respect your music, or that I think you are cute. That is all true, but that’s not what I mean when I say that. Let me TRY to explain…

When I was a teenager (yuck!) I had no positive adult mentors anywhere in the vicinity of my lonely soul. And just as God intended, your music found it’s way to me. Your guitar playing reached right into my heart and made it beat differently, happily. So I read everything that I could find about you. I quickly learned that there was a reason why you made me feel so good. It was because you were put on this planet to help people, among other great things.

I had always believed in God and all that stuff, but I hadn’t found the right place for God in my heart. You taught me everything I ever felt I needed to know about spirituality. All of what you said made so much sense to me. You changed the way I perceive EVERYTHING and I find positive things and incredible joy everywhere I go. I would not have that if it weren’t for you. You took me to my destiny, Steve. I will be eternally in your debt for that and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I had the honor (huge understatement) of meeting you on 11/18/99 for the first time (and I loved it so much I went to your show on the 21st and met your band!). I thought I was going to be so awestruck that I would pass out! 🙂 But you have a calming effect about you. I suppose that makes sense. I finally got to tell you how much you have meant to me for the past 11 years. Thank you for giving me the chance to do that. You are so kind to your fans. What a huge heart you have! And what a huge fan you will have in me until the end of time and beyond!

With the deepest kind of love,

Leslie Monaghen
Rhode Island