I hadn’t smiled in months. When my daughter dropped off a puppy, I thought it was just another thing I’d fail at. But Bandit—goofy, loud, persistent—cracked something open in me. He made the silence less crushing. Then one day, while roughhousing, he tore my shirt… and revealed an envelope I didn’t even know was there. It was from my wife—my late wife.

Her handwriting. Her words. Her love.
“If you’re reading this, it means someone finally got through to you… Stop waiting for permission to live again.”

Tears streamed. Bandit wagged his tail like he’d just saved the world.

That letter was the beginning. I cleaned out her closet. I joined a walking group. I even met Nora—who reminded me that moving forward isn’t forgetting.

Months later, at the shelter Bandit came from, I met a young man grieving his fiancée. I handed him a leash and watched hope flicker in his eyes.

That’s when I realized: Bandit didn’t just rescue me. He gave me the courage to help others heal too.

Healing isn’t clean or quick—but it is possible. Sometimes, it starts with a letter. Sometimes, with a dog.

🧡 Tag someone who needs a little light today.