I want you to be happy, she wrote.

But I remember how proud you were when you received your university acceptance letter.

If you decide to stay home, let it be your choice, not the price of being loved.

She didn’t condemn him.

She didn’t claim to see the future.

She simply described the granddaughter she’d known: curious, stubborn, meticulous, and good at helping younger cousins understand their math homework.

At the bottom, she had added a sentence that made me laugh through my tears.