On my 47th birthday, I set the table for three. One seat remained empty, as it had for the past two years—quietly waiting. My daughter, Karen, hadn’t spoken to me during that time.
Still, every year, I laid out her plate, a small act of hope I couldn’t let go of. Brad, my husband, noticed but said nothing.
That night, as the candles flickered and dinner cooled, I made a silent wish: to see my daughter again, to hear her laughter, to feel her close once more.
Later, while tidying up, I opened a drawer and found something I hadn’t seen before—a birthday card addressed to me in Karen’s handwriting.
My hands shook as I unfolded it. Inside were words I had longed to hear: apologies, love, and an address in Canada. She hadn’t turned away from me after all. The card had simply never arrived. For the first time in years, hope stirred in my heart.
The next morning, I told Brad I needed to go. We drove to see my ex-husband, Nigel. When I showed him the card, his face fell. He admitted he’d forgotten to pass it along.
My heart ached, but the message inside gave me courage. Karen had written that she missed me. That she wanted me to come. That night, I packed a bag, determined to close the distance that had separated us for far too long.
When I arrived at her home, I barely had time to raise my hand to knock. The door opened, and there she was—older, radiant, and still unmistakably my little girl. She didn’t speak.
She simply ran into my arms, and I held her as if I’d never let go. In that moment, the years apart dissolved. That day, I didn’t just reunite with my daughter.
I discovered something deeper—grace, forgiveness, and a part of myself I thought I had lost: the part that still believed in second chances.
