A woman has shared the heartbreaking book entry her late fiancé wrote for their young son before he tragically passed away.
The 38-year-old mother, who lives in the US, posted the touching entry on the Reddit page r/beyondthebump, which is "a place for new parents... focusing on the transition into living with your new little one and any issues that may come up," and it's attracted an outpouring of sympathy and praise.
"My late fiancé made a book for our son and I just found it," the single mother of an 18-month-old son said. "It was with my son's books. I didn't know he had filled the book out and read through all the entries."
Explaining her recent loss, the poster, who goes by the username u/EightySixTheWorld, wrote: "My fiancé died in June less than two weeks before our son turned one. I wanted to come here to suggest that everyone try to do something like this. If he were still alive it would be touching but now that he's gone it's a treasure."
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In the section titled 'Dad, how do you want future generations of your family to remember you?', the late father wrote:
"That's a hard question to answer but giving my best on the fly without thinking about it too hard, I want to be remembered as a good man who had his shortcomings and demons early in life but after he got things together he was an honest, hard-working person who loved to laugh and love.
"Never afraid to lend a helping hand to whoever needed it. A man that had a good family that he loved and would do anything for."
Readers were quick to offer their sympathy and to praise the idea of leaving written records behind for your children.
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"A beautiful entry. I'm so sorry for your loss. Thanks for sharing this passage with us," one commenter said.
Another reader explained how she regularly writes things down for her daughter in case she ever unexpectedly passes away.
"I'm so sorry for your loss. What a wonderful treasure to discover," the commenter said. "I didn't keep a traditional baby book, but I've been writing letters to my daughter periodically (every month or so) since she was born 16 months ago. I just jot down things about our life, my feelings for her, what I want to tell her. I write them in Google Docs so I can do it from my phone if inspiration strikes.
"I am collecting them in a book with photos from the events described in the letters, etc... I thought I would stop after her first birthday, but I was accustomed to doing it after a year and really enjoy it, so the book is a work in progress as I still am writing letters.
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"All this to say, I thought I was just creating a fun alternative baby book, but the project has taken in new meaning since I was diagnosed with cancer last week.
"I still hope my daughter will know how much I love her from growing up with me. But if I don't make it, I'm glad I'll have those letters to leave her."
We wish you all the luck in the world u/EightySixTheWorld and we agree that writing down your treasured memories for future generations is a beautiful, beautiful idea.
Featured Image Credit: PexelsTopics: Life News, Real, Cancer, Health