Love is a powerful force that shapes lives, bridges distances, and holds people together through the most challenging years. Even when someone dies, their love doesn’t vanish; it stays behind in things like a scent or a familiar recipe. One Reddit user, u/custardnotmustard, found a similar keepsake of love tucked inside their grandmother’s handbag, who passed away recently. It was a love letter from their grandfather, who passed away in 2021, written before they were married. The user shared the letter writing, “They had a complicated relationship, but stuck together for their whole life after he rescued her from a convent her mother had sent her to as a child. Brought me to tears.”
The letter was dated “Sunday,” beginning with, “My dearest Win, as I said yesterday, I have never had to write to tell you that I love you — so I thought I’d better fill that gap.” The writer went on to describe the early moments of their relationship, recalling the first time he met her and sensed “here was someone special and not just ‘another girl.'” Though he clarified it wasn’t love at first sight, he wrote, “I liked you very much even then — and the better I came to know you, the better I liked you. I can not remember the moment when I was first in love with you — it happened like day break.” The letter continued across three pages, filled with emotional recollections and assurances about their future together.
At one point, he wrote, “Perhaps that night when you phoned from Wales was the first time that I really faced up to the idea that I might not see you again — and that I couldn’t imagine it happening because you seemed, at last, to be the one person I had been waiting for.” Toward the end, he added a note of lighthearted honesty, “There’s just one thing I don’t like about you — that name ‘Bradley’ just doesn’t seem right somehow. I’ll try to put that defect right sometime next April.” He signed off with, “I have possibly mentioned to you that autumn is my favorite, and I sometimes wonder why — now I know. All my love, Ted.” The couple, it turns out, had a life filled with big choices and even bigger personalities. The user, who lived with them in their teenage years, shared in the comments that their grandfather was a professor while their grandmother “was an ex-nun with a master’s in educational psychology.”
They spent years teaching in London before settling in a quiet valley in the Lake District, where they opened a bed and breakfast. “My grandfather lived in the library. My grandma lived in the garden or painting — both great passions they pursued,” the user added. She was thoughtful and independent, someone the user now sees in themselves. “Playing cards till the early hours, Christmas as a big family, my grandfather explaining string theory while my grandma helped me with schoolwork. I find it hard to think it’s all over,” they added.
The post resonated with readers who were moved by the tenderness and timelessness of the letter. u/Grouchy_Paint_6341 wrote, “Beautiful. True love is never perfect. In fact, it’s messy and complicated at times. I think it’s beautiful that he wrote this to her, and you could see it and reflect on it. Letters are the words to the heart.” u/SuniChica wrote, “This letter is so touchingly beautiful. I can understand why she had it in her handbag. So tender and loving. u/wetbones_ said, “Wow, this makes me believe in love again.”
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
