you life.
It’s the man who gave up his life so you could have one.
By the time Nora finished reading, tears were running down faces all across the auditorium.
I couldn’t lift my head.
The Second Envelope
Maya stepped forward.
“We thought that was all.”
She held up another envelope.
“But there was one more.”
“It was addressed…”
She paused.
“…to Uncle Elias.”
My hands began to shake.
“I’ve never seen that before.”
Nora smiled through tears.
“He wanted us to decide when you were ready.”
She walked off the stage and placed it in my hands.
I slowly opened it.
My Brother’s Final Words
Elias,
I don’t deserve your forgiveness.
When my wife died, I became someone I didn’t recognize.
Every time I looked at the girls, I saw everything I’d lost.
You looked at them…
…and saw everything worth living for.
I spent years convincing myself I’d
