Notes Left Behind

Get out a tissue, because this story is a tearjerker.

Notes Left Behind is a collection of letters written by a beautiful six-year-old girl who was diagnosed with a fatal form of brain cancer that she hid for her family to find after she had died.

When their then five-year-old daughter was diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer, the Desserichs decided to start a journal so that their youngest daughter would never forget her loving older sister.  What they didn't know was that Elena was secretly writing notes and drawing pictures that she hid all over her home and her relatives' homes, tucked in between the pages of books, inside bags of Christmas decorations, cupboards, and anywhere else she could think of.

Within days after Elena's death, her family began finding the notes - hundreds of them so far - addressed to different family members and with messages as simple as "I love you"

'She was a child who was wise beyond her years,' said Mr Desserich. 'I hate to think she knew she was dying but I think she did.'

'I think the notes were her way of telling us that everything would be OK,' added Mrs Desserich.  'It feels like a hug from her every time we find one.'

'We don't ever want to find the last note,' said Mr Desserich. 'I hope we keep on finding them for years to come.'

...In fact, both parents have saved one unopened note from Elena which they carry with them in their briefcases.

'It's our way of saving the last note,' said Mrs Desserich.  

About a year and a half ago, Matt was playing with a framed photo of  Amanda and me as kids that sits in our living room and discovered a secret letter that Amanda had written and hidden when she gave me the photo as a gift before I left for college.

As I read it, tears streamed down my face.  Amanda was so excited for me, moving off from home and on to college, but she also talked about how much she would miss me and how things would never again be quite the same. She spoke of how hard it would be having the sister that she looked up to move away and start a new part of life without her.  But mostly, she told me how much she loved me and how much it meant to her to have me as her sister.  I never knew she felt any of that, and reading those words (even years later) made me feel so loved. 

I don't keep a journal or anything like that, but I definitely think that there is value to writing down your feelings at various times.  It's easy to forget what something was like after time has passed, and it's even harder to re-articulate those long-passed feelings to someone else. 

Write a note to someone.  Tell your friends how much you appreciate them.  Tell your loved ones that you love them.  Tell your spouse how much he (or she) means to you.  They'll never know it if you don't tell them.