For the last few months I've been listening to the audio books of my favorite "Outlander" series by Diana Gabaldon. "Voyager" Ch. 42 sums it all up very well. Let me set the scene: a woman who accidentally time traveled in ~1945 back to ~1743 accidentally fell in love with Jaime. Because Claire knew modern-day history which, in 1743, is the future, she knew a war was coming. She was pregnant by Jaime so he sent her back to modern-day to keep the baby safe since they assume he'll die in the war. Twenty years later she discovers he didn't die. The baby is grown so she goes back to the past to be with her true love. But she writes a letter for her daughter before she leaves. Here are some of the ideas Claire voices in the novel regarding such a letter:
- I expect she'll ignore it all, and have a wonderful life - but at least she'll know I thought about her.
- If she doesn't need it, it will do no harm, and if she does, it will be there.
- She recorded what she knew of the family medical history
- ...how could I tell her just how much I loved her?
- She shared a lot of treasured memories of her daughter growing up
- She gave a bit of advice about men, such as don't try to change them because you can't and don't let them try to change you because they can't either
Maybe I'll use this as a pattern when I finally do write those letters. Sure, the books are fiction, but at least it's a launching point that makes the task seem a little less overwhelming.
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