A dying mum’s heartbreaking letter was discovered in a second-hand bookstore in Bishop Auckland in the UK by the store’s owner.
Gordon Draper of Bondgate Books spotted the letter while going through a pile of old books. And the contents of the letter, addressed to the mum’s daughter Bethany, moved him to tears.
“Bethany (my little treasure),” the mum wrote.
“If your dad is reading this to you it is because I have died and gone to heaven to live with the angels. My chest was very poorly and I had an operation to make it better but it didn’t work. I will always be in the sky make sure you are alright and watching over you so when you see a bright star like in the nursery rhyme Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, that’s me.
“Be a good girl and live a long happy life your dad and granda will look after you and take you to school. I will always love you and don’t let anyone tell you it’s wrong to talk about me because it’s not.
“I hope you don’t forget me because I’ll always be your mam. Lots of hugs and kisses. Goodbye.”
The envelope also contained a photo of the mum and her daughter, who Gordon says he recognised. And based on his recollections, he think the letter is about 15 years old.
“I recognise the woman because she came into the shop before she died to buy a lot of children’s books,” he says.
“She was really poorly when she came in but she bought lots of books for the kiddie who was just a little girl.”
“She really spoiled her with all the Beatrix Potter set and Paddington Bear books and could not have emphasised more that books meant a lot and she wanted to leave her something – this little girl might still have them.”
Although Gordon doesn’t know the woman’s full name, he’s hoping it can be returned to its rightful owner.
“I would like to reunite the letter with Bethany, that would be my wish because it is just so sad,” he says. “I think it’s important she gets it back.”
How heartbreaking. We hope Bethany is reunited with her precious letter soon.
