I picked up the top letter, my name written across it in the familiar scrawl of my mother’s handwriting. Tears welled up as I slowly unfolded the paper, her words reaching out to me from the past.

“My Dearest Sofia,” it began, “if you are reading this, then life has taken you on a journey far from home. I wanted you to have something to hold onto, something that would remind you of your roots and my love for you, no matter where you go.”

I glanced through the other letters, each one filled with her thoughts, her dreams for me, and her memories of our life together. My mother had passed away shortly before I left for college, and these letters were her way of continuing our conversation, even beyond her time on earth.