I Promised My Son Forever—Then Cancer Made Me Count the Months

I sit on the floor and open the box.

Inside are letters I’ve started, then stopped, because every time I write “Dear Leo,” my heart feels like it’s being squeezed.

There are labels on some envelopes:

OPEN WHEN YOU’RE 10.
OPEN WHEN YOU’RE 13.
OPEN WHEN YOU’RE 16.
OPEN WHEN YOU’RE 18.
OPEN ON YOUR WEDDING DAY.
OPEN WHEN YOU’RE A DAD.

The last one is blank because continue reading …