I recognized it.
Nora had kept it on a shelf in our bedroom.
After she died, I searched for it but couldn’t find it.
Grandma set the box on the coffee table.
“Your mommy asked me to keep this safe,” she told Lily.
My daughter immediately sat up.
“Mommy’s box?”
Grandma nodded.
Lily carefully opened the lid.
Inside was a photograph of Nora holding her as a baby.
Beneath it rested a silver bracelet with a tiny star.
There was also a folded piece of paper.
And a small fabric pouch.
Lily opened the pouch first.
Inside was a silver charm shaped like a crown.
She smiled.
“A princess crown!”
Grandma gently unfolded the paper.
“Your mommy wrote you a letter, sweetheart. Would you like Daddy to read it?”
Lily nodded eagerly.
I took the page.
My hands were trembling.
My beautiful Lily,
If you’re reading this, I hope you know that you were the greatest gift your daddy and I ever received.
