Written for Paul Chvala (“Stay Close”)

I truly feel that by reflecting on his own struggles, Paul made his story seem all the more human. The fact that he spent his final days worried about his family staying close to each other says everything about his selfless nature and who he became.

Written for Rose Tuck (“A Gift for Helping”)

Rose's lifelong instinct to care for others (such as driving friends home safely and spending forty years with the intellectually disabled) is a quiet kind of greatness that rarely gets recognized. Her reminder to follow your dreams and never let anyone dictate your path feels all the more powerful coming from someone who lived it so fully, and truly impacted the way I have began to perceive my own actions.

Written for Paul Chvala (“Stay Close”)

Chvala's persistence in stopping drinking is incredibly inspiring. His experience and wisdom clearly demonstrate that it's worth making positive changes in your life, especially with addiction, where the path to freedom can be long and full of setbacks.

Written for Maria Perry (“A Life Story to Tell”)

What a kind and joyful person! I admire her dedication to caring for others and making others laugh.

Written for Janet Rafky (“Purpose and Love”)

Janet's outlook on life is inspiring. I appreciate her advice on finding a career that one enjoys.

Written for Cathy Baer (“A Life Well Lived”)

Cathy sounds like the best kind of boss to have! I appreciate her advice at the end of the letter as well - I plan to take it and live my life as fully as I can.

Written for Anonymous Legacy Letter (“There’s Always a Way”)

What a beautiful life lived! This persons message about grief really resonated with me and I think they provide such good advice for anyone who has experienced such a devastating loss at a young age.

Written for Phil Rivera’s Legacy Letter

What a kind soul Phil is. Teachers make the world go around and it’s heartwarming to hear about all of the students that Phil has helped, especially ESL.

Written for Patricia Orlando’s Legacy Letter

As a child of Asian immigrants myself, I was really happy to hear Mrs. Orlando's experience teaching English conversational skills to Korean students. Makes me think about the hardships my parents must've went through navigating life in a brand new country where they didn't know the language. Thanks for sharing your story!!

Written for Eden Delcher (“Life and Gratitude”)

32 years of teaching! Wow!! Thank you, Mrs. Delcher, for your service as a teacher. I loved my dystopic fiction class in high school and I'm sure I would've loved your version of it. Thank you for sharing your story!

Written for The Life of Gary R. Ethier

This was inspiring. I can't imagine how much Gary's been through, but he tells his story with such richness with gratitude. Not to mention some great music taste. The line "Also, my favorite food is everything that’s cooked right" absolutely cracked me up. When I get old, I want to be like Gary.

Written for Anonymous (“Life and Love”)

I love the line about not caring about how you look and just taking naps. I feel that lol. And I relate to the experience of being close with your cousins in childhood too. I had some cousins who used to stay with us every other summer and we'd have so much fun. Reading this reminded me of that.