My 68-year-old grandma sent a simple message in the family group chat: “Does anyone have a little to spare? I need $60 for something important.” No one replied. Not my aunts, uncles, or cousins—no one. Two days later, I sent her a message, quietly hoping she was okay.
That night, she died in her sleep. I was numb the next morning as I went to her tiny apartment to help with arrangements. I expected to find bills or groceries—but on her table sat a small, gift-wrapped box. Beside it was a handwritten note with my name: “Thank you for remembering me.”
Inside the box were leather sketchbooks and pencils—ones I’d admired months ago but never bought. Her note read, “You always believed in my stories. I wanted you to have the tools to tell your own.” I collapsed, weeping, overwhelmed by her thoughtfulness and the weight of her last words.
At her funeral, everyone else brought flowers. I brought her final gift—and a promise. Her gesture was quiet, yet louder than anyone else’s presence. She believed in me when no one else did, even in her final moments.
I vowed to write the book she never finished. Every line, every character, would carry a piece of her spirit. Grandma may have left this world, but through her faith in me, she continues to live—encouraging, guiding, and reminding me that love sometimes speaks louder than a thousand ignored messages.