Tonight, I received a heartfelt letter from a dear woman I assisted last year. She had previously sent me a lovely thank-you note, so I was eager to see what updates her latest letter would share. With her permission, I’m sharing it (names changed) to inspire others not to give up, and, more importantly, to encourage them not to hesitate in reaching out to reconnect with family and friends. Below are her original thank-you letter and the subsequent update.
Original Letter:
I wanted to follow up with you. My younger brother and I finally mustered the courage to call Tommy over the holiday weekend. The information you provided led us to our older brother, who was open to speaking with us. Both of us were pretty nervous; he mentioned he knew our mother had two other children, but he didn’t know our names. He seems very kind and willing to talk about his family. This is just the beginning of our relationship—where it will lead us, I’m not sure, but it feels like a promising start.
You can’t imagine how much this means to me; connecting with Tommy has lifted a tremendous weight off my shoulders (there are other burdens, but they feel lighter now 😉). You have helped reunite a family that I had almost lost hope in bringing together. After much soul-searching, I realized that if I didn’t at least try to find him, it would be my biggest regret at the end of my life. Now, I’ll have to search for other regrets! You truly are an angel!
Update One Year Later:
I wanted to reach out and inform you of the profound impact you’ve had on my family. After connecting with my brother, we established an email relationship that allowed me to get to know him a bit better. He and our mother also began corresponding, and my mom shared that their emails were very warm. It seems both of them believed the other didn’t want to connect and held onto hard feelings—when, in truth, it was the opposite.
Shortly after we reconnected, my brother was diagnosed with cancer, which he bravely battled for several months before going into remission. We all believed we had time. Tragically, about three weeks ago, my brother passed away suddenly from a massive heart attack. Although we never had the chance to meet in person, I am deeply grateful for the relationship we formed. Thanks to you, my mother and brother had the chance to connect, giving Tommy peace in knowing that his mother loved him. Without your help in bringing us together, this wouldn’t have been possible.
With deepest gratitude,
Marsha