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Posted on 06/01/2011 4:24:25 PM PDT by Pinkbell
Two days after she laid her beloved soldier husband to rest Emma Weaver opened the laptop he'd had in Afghanistan and was overcome with emotion.
There were two Word documents on the desktop, one called 'Dear Emma,' the other marked 'Dear Kiley' for the couple's baby daughter.
Mrs Weaver realised her darling husband Todd, who was killed by an IED on his second tour of Afghanistan in September 2010, had written both his leading ladies goodbye letters in the event of his death.
Mrs Weaver, from Hampton, Virginia, took a deep breath and opened the files.
'Well if you are reading this, I guess I did not make it home and therefore, I was not able to remind you again of how much I love you,' U.S. Army, 1st Lieutenant, Weaver wrote.
'Although it may seem like my life was cut short, I lived a life that most can only dream of. I married the perfect woman. I have a beautiful daughter that amazed me every day.'
He then told her to be strong for their daughter, who had been just nine months old when he left for the war zone in June 2010.
'Remind her about her Daddy and tell her that I loved her more than anything else in the world,' he wrote.
'Her birth was the best day of my life and she was the best thing that ever happened to me. Tell her that Daddy is in heaven now and will watch over her and protect her every minute of every day.'
In the letter to his daughter, Lt Weaver, called her his 'sweetie' and a true 'gift from God'.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Dear Emma:
Well if you are reading this, I guess I did not make it home and therefore, I was not able to remind you again of how much I love you.
I love you so much baby and I will always love you. Although I may not be here right now, take comfort in the fact that I am watching over you right now.
I am not gone and I will always be with you in spirit. I know this time must be hard for you but I also know how strong you are.
Never forget that God knew what was best for us before we were even born. Take comfort in that. This happened for a reason. Although you may not believe it now, you will one day.
I want you to know just how important you are to me. I could not ask for a more caring, beautiful and loving wife. The memories that we have shared over the last few years have been the best of my life. Although it may seem like my life was cut short,
I lived a life that most can only dream of. I married the perfect woman. I have a beautiful daughter that amazed me every day.
I even had two great dogs - at least most of the time. I couldn't ask for anything more. If you feel sad, just think back to the memories that we shared. Look at our daughter and how beautiful she is.
Be strong for her. Remind her about her Daddy and tell her that I loved her more than anything else in the world. Her birth was the best day of my life and she was the best thing that ever happened to me. Her smile and laughter represent all that is good and beautiful in this world.
Tell her that Daddy is in heaven now and will watch over her and protect her every minute of every day. I love you Emma. But never be afraid to do what you need to do to be happy. It is so important that you continue to find happiness in your life. Although you may think this is impossible right now, have faith.
Much better times are coming. You and Kiley have a wonderful life ahead of you and I am so happy to have shared some of it with you.
I love you. Your loving Husband, Todd
Dear Kiley, My Sweetie:
Although you may not remember me, I want you to know how very much your Daddy loves you. I left for Afghanistan when you were 9 months old.
Leaving you was the hardest thing I've ever had to do.
You are so very special to me sweetie - you are truly a gift from God.
The best day of my life was the day you were born.
Every time I saw you smile my heart would just melt.
You were my sweetie - my life was not complete until you were born.
I am so sorry I will not be able to see you grow up.
But remember, your Daddy is not gone. I am in heaven now smiling down on you every day.
You are so very lucky to have such a wonderful Mom to take care of you.
Make sure you are good for her and help her out whenever you can.
Always remember to say your prayers at night and be thankful for all your many blessings.
Never forget how important and special you are to so many people.
We love you so very much. When you get older and start school, do your best and try to learn as much as you can about the world you live in.
Always be nice and caring to others and you will discover that the world will be nice to you.
But when things aren't going your way, never forget that God knows what is best for you and everything will work out in the end.
You have such a bright and beautiful future ahead of you.
Have fun. Enjoy it. And remember, your Daddy will always be proud of you and will always love you.
You are and will always be my sweetie.
With very much love, Your Daddy
This man is a hero and was a wonderful man. The country lost a good one. May his wife and daughter take solace in these letters and feel his and God's love now and in the future. His daughter may be too young now, but there will be a day this will hit her hard.
Father in Heaven, thank you for this great man.
Please bless his wife and baby daughter with
favor. Help to turn their sorrow in to joy.
In Jesus name!
...Jo
Have to go, my screen is blurring....
And Amen
Prayers for Emma & Kiley. Heartbreaking ...I can not begin to imagine writing those letters. What a brave wonderful man Todd was. RIP.
thank you for posting this, so we could add his family to our prayers.
i am surprised to only read about this wonderful human being in a British newspaper. i hope many more will get to see it,
and be touched by it.
Just did a quick scan of CNN and Fox. Nothing.
“This should be frontpage on every major media outlet.
Just did a quick scan of CNN and Fox. Nothing.”
This is reminiscent of the “Sullivan Ballou Letter” made famous from the soundtrack of Ken Burn’s “Civil War” documentary on PBS years ago.
Interesting that we have to go to The Daily Mail of the UK to get the story, eh?
Thank you for posting this story. I don’t mind the stream of tears that it unleashed. Those tears remind me how precious life is, and that I need to hug my child even more than I already do. Yes, hugging my wife is also on the list :)
Wow, It reminds me of the Sullivan Beleu Letter to his wife during the Civil War.
But what a wonderful thing for the family to have.
Actually, it would be a great thing for everyone to write for ‘after.’
I had a friend from girlhood through school, marriages, moves, children, letters, pictures, etc - who got leukemia.
Two weeks after she died, I picked up my mail to find an envelope with the familiar handwriting. it took me aback for a minute. But she had written it and asked her husband to mail it out ‘after.’
I think, particularly our children and grandchildren would find comfort in and always cherish such letters that attested to our love for them and their “specialness.”
Freep-mail me to get on or off my pro-life and Catholic List:
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My screen has gone blurry too.
Heart felt prayers to Emma and Kiley. How priceless those to beautiful letter become to these two.
Absolutely wonderful. As a father of five, and a military brat, this goes right through. Thank you for posting this.
Amem.
RIP Lt and may your wife and child be comforted.
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