Last year, a 16-year-old girl from Tifton, Georgia named Macy Mathis gave her mom, Cindy, the greatest birthday present a child can give: a box of 25 letters for her birthday. Each letter was sealed in an envelope with special instructions such as “Open when you need to smile” or “Open when you need to know how much I love you.” At the time, Cindy loved the present, but a few months later tragedy struck which made the presents even more meaningful.
In November, Macy and her boyfriend were in a car accident less than a mile from Cindy’s home. They both received fatal injuries in the crash; Macy died in her mother’s arms 5 days after the accident.
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After Macy’s death, the box of letters became Cindy’s last connection to her daughter. A letter labeled “Open when you miss me” is now especially important to Cindy.
“Hey mommy. I’m sorry that you’re missing me. I hope wherever you are or whatever you’re doing you’re okay. I’m probably missing you too,” Macy wrote at the start of her letter. She ends it with words that mean more to Cindy now than ever: “I will always and forever love you mommy. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me.”
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Now, Cindy can’t help but wonder if Macy somehow knew that her mother would need those 25 letters. “I feel like she knew,” said Cindy. “Maybe deep down, she knew, or maybe God told her.”
Cindy is sharing her story so that others will be encouraged to tell their loved ones how much they mean to them. She says people have been asking her if they can use Macy’s idea and write letters to their loved ones.
“I tell them, ‘Please, I am begging you, do this for your parents too’… I would not take back Macy’s letters for anything in the world.”
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Cindy went on to say, “”I’m very thankful for [the letters], because I don’t have closure. They give me a little bit of closure to know how much she knew I loved her. They keep her alive.”
Share this daughter’s beautiful final gift today.
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