My son passed away at 16. My husband, Sam, never shed a tear. Our family drifted apart and we eventually divorced. Sam remarried and 12 years later, he too passed away. A few days later, his wife came to see me. She said, “It’s time you know the truth. Sam had …

She placed a small wooden box in my hands. It was worn, the edges smooth as if it had been opened many times. Inside were dozens of envelopes, each one sealed carefully with my son’s name written across the front.

Family vacation packages
“Every year, on his birthday,” she explained softly, “Sam went to the same quiet hill and wrote to him. He never let anyone see, but this was how he grieved, how he stayed connected. He carried this pain silently all these years.” I sat there for a long time, holding those letters, unable to believe what I was seeing. One by one, I began to read. They were filled with memories of our boy—his laughter, his dreams, his smile.

Karla Cortes