re: Found an old, unread letter from my Dad, who passed a couple of years back

If you're not a piece of shite dad, it's crazy how much you feel like you're failing your kids even when you're doing everything you're supposed to do. My son is only 7 but I lost my dad when I was 12. I am hyper aware of how all of it could end at any second. I know I'm doing all I can to give him a great life but it never feels like enough. It's a strong internal struggle I deal with daily.

You and your dad sound awesome.

That was wonderful to read. I still have voicemails from my parents who passed away.
My mom singing happy birthday to me, several years worth of recordings. I never answered when she called on my birthday because I knew she would sing in a voicemail.
My dad’s are random messages he left me that I never deleted.
When feeling down, I can always go back and hear their voices.

That is gold right there, and I'm happy you all found it.

I've told about my Pops passing away from ALS back in 2017. I have little things that remind me of him that I hope to always have. I cherish those things greatly. He worked himself ragged, working 12 hour swings and another job on the side, but he was somehow at all the games and recitals, and such for myself and my sister. Of course, I couldn't appreciate then how tired he likely actually was. You don't burn the candle like that well into your 40s and not feel it.

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I just wrote a letter for all three of my kids. I had open heart surgery and although the chance was small I could die I wanted to them to have something to remember me by since the oldest is only 6. I’m not gonna lie it ls the toughest thing I’ve ever done writing those letters. Now luckily they don’t have to read them.

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My dad this as well- wrote a letter to me and my sibling, my mom and then one to the family. He survived the surgery and the letters were put away. He passed in 2023 and I asked my mom about the letters and she gave me my letter. I have read that thing so many times. Cry like a baby. It is the most wonderful gift. To read my father's letter to me and to the family in his handwriting was such a gift.

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GeauxldMember

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Do you think he wrote it with the intentions of giving it y'all and just never got around to it?

Where did she find the letter?

My story is similar. But my dad thought he was going to die about 15 years ago from cancer and wrote me a letter and never gave it to me. He lived another 12 years and my mom gave it to me then.

One thing I’d like to do is to write a series of letters, or perhaps emails to my kids that will be delivered every so often after I die. I could schedule the delivery by email pretty easily.

I wrote letters to my wife, daughter and son on each deployment. Just in case, I wanted them to know how I feel about them. Not easy to write, but seems easier than saying it.

Surely the down vote was a mistake. Thank you for sharing man.... appreciate what you have before it's gone

I am so happy you got to get that...those words and thanks from beyond.

That's awesome