Father Sends a Letter to Son Weekly for Years With No Reply, Suddenly Receives Photo from Him
Every week for ten years, Robert sat at his small wooden desk, carefully writing a letter to his son, Michael.
He wrote about the weather, the old neighborhood, and memories of when Michael was a child. He shared updates about his garden, how Mrs. Thompson from next door still baked the best apple pie, and how he missed their Sunday fishing trips.
He ended every letter the same way: “I love you, son. Come home if you can.”
And every week, he mailed it. And every week, there was no reply.
Michael had left home at eighteen after a terrible argument. He was determined to make something of himself, angry at the world, angry at his father. Robert had tried calling, but Michael never answered. The silence stretched into months, then years.
Still, Robert never stopped writing.
Neighbors often asked, “Why do you keep sending letters if he never responds?”
Robert would only smile sadly and say, “Because one day, he might.”
Then, one chilly autumn afternoon, Robert went to check his mailbox as he always did. But instead of bills and advertisements, there was an envelope with his name on it.
Shaking, he tore it open. Inside was a single photograph.
It was a picture of Michael, standing in front of a small house, smiling. But what made Robert’s heart nearly stop was what Michael was holding—a newborn baby.
On the back of the photo, there was a short note:
“Dad, meet your granddaughter. I named her Hope. Your letters kept me going, even when I couldn’t write back. I’m sorry it took me so long. I’ll be home soon. Love, Michael.”
Tears streamed down Robert’s face as he clutched the photo to his chest.
For the first time in years, he felt like he could breathe again.
