Amanda was cleaning out her late grandmother’s attic when she stumbled upon an old box marked “Amanda—do not open until you need me.” Inside was a letter from her mother, who passed away from cancer when Amanda was just 15. Her hands shook as she opened it.

The letter was handwritten, full of love and advice: “If you’re reading this, it means you’re going through something. Just know I love you and believe in you—always.”

Amanda cried for hours. “It felt like she was hugging me through the words,” she said. That letter became Amanda’s most treasured possession. She carries a copy in her wallet and has it framed on her bedroom wall. Now a mother herself, Amanda wrote a similar letter to her own daughter.

“Even when we’re gone, our words can stay,” she says. The story has since been shared online and inspired thousands to write letters to their loved ones—just in case.