Dearest Mommy,

I should have written this a few days ago, but your beloved Tatacoco got sick, so I only had the chance to write again tonight.

Your passing feels like yesterday, yet it has been eighteen years since I last saw your radiant smile, heard your laughter, or felt the reassuring warmth of your hand in mine. I visit “Mariel’s Garden” because it beautifully echoes the essence of who you were. And I want to tell you how much you are still, and always will be, a part of everything in my life.

To me, a garden with its vibrant life and its beautiful flowers is the perfect reflection of who you are. For you always saw beauty in the promise of every tiny seed, and the importance of tending to it with love. You had cultivated not just flowers, but joy, kindness, and understanding in everyone you had ever met. For your inner beauty truly blossomed, Mariel, making you the most lovely person I have ever known, inside and out.

I remember, too, how you could make even the simplest moments feel profound. Our walk in the park became an adventure, our quiet evening at home a sanctuary. You had this incredible way of illuminating the world around you, making colors brighter, music sweeter, and love deeper. You taught me so much without ever needing to say a word – just by being you.

Life without you, however, is a landscape forever changed. There are many days that colors feel muted, and the silence too loud. But then, I feel you in the warmth of the morning sun on my face, a gentle reminder of your bright spirit. I hear you in the rustling of leaves, a whisper of your calming presence. I see you in every flower that pushes its way through the ground, a testament to the resilient and beautiful life you once lived. You had planted so many seeds of love and happiness in my heart, and people who knew you, and they continue to grow, and give comfort and strength to us.

You were my truest love, my greatest supporter. You saw me, truly saw me, and loved me unconditionally. That kind of love is a rare and precious thing, and I will carry it with me every single day. For it has shaped who I am, and it will always guide me forward.

Thank you, my love, for every moment, every memory, every lesson, and every ounce of your boundless love. Thank you for making my world a more beautiful place, a garden I can still walk through in my memories, forever in bloom because of you. Thank you for being the most beautiful person, for me and your daughter, Sam. You are our forever garden, eternally blooming in our hearts.

With all my love, always,

Bong