A woman, 36, just sent us a letter in which she told us her incredible family story. The woman was sorting her mother’s belongings after her funeral when she discovered a diary she had no idea existed. Her mother made numerous entries in this diary, but one in particular caught the woman’s attention, since she had no idea such dramatic events were taking place in her own household, with her own parents.Helen, a 36-year-old lady, wrote us a letter in which she informed us about a family tragedy that has now turned into a thing that is hurting her life.
Helen began her letter by stating that her mother had recently died of cancer, which was the most difficult loss she has ever experienced and from which she is still recuperating. The woman commented, “My mother died of cancer one month ago.” I had been caring for her for the past two years, and I was watching her steadily decline day by day, unable to do anything to help her. She was diagnosed too late, and neither of the chemotherapy treatments she received helped her.
I was expecting mom to die soon, but when she did, my sadness was so great that I couldn’t even cry out my pain; I was numb.» Helen mentioned that she had a particular relationship with her late mother. The woman wrote, “My mother loved me more than anything. She would spoil me, be my closest friend, wisest mentor, and the most loving person in the world. I repaid her with doubled affection; we were very close.
Surprisingly, Helen did not have the same relationship with her brother as she did with her mother. The woman stated, “My older brother, Sam, is the guy I have never been able to really comprehend. He has always been distant from me since I was a child, and I couldn’t see any obvious reason why. No, he never acted aggressively against me or upset me.
He was simply acting as if I had some sickness that would transmit to him if he came into contact with me; this has always struck me as strange, given that our mother loved us both equally and there was no discrimination in our household.Helen continues her story, claiming that after her mother’s funeral, her brother approached her and told her they needed to talk.
Helen added, “Sam insisted that I do not touch mom’s things in any way, and he said that he would sort them, and then he’d take the things he wanted to keep and let me choose the ones I wanted to keep as well.” I consented because my grief was so overwhelming, but in my heart, I knew it was so wrong of Sam to not allow me to touch Mom’s things.»
But then Sam’s wife began giving birth unexpectedly, and Sam raced to his relatives for help. Helen took advantage of the occasion and began sorting through her mother’s belongings on her own. Helen remarked, “I thought it would be just unfair if someone, even my brother, forbade me from approaching the belongings of my dearest person on Earth.” I decided to disregard Sam’s demands and began rummaging through Mom’s belongings alone.
I planned to keep only a handful of them, and I was confident that Sam would not desire them because they held no personal importance for him. So I believed everything was fair. And now I wish I had listened to Sam and never addressed mom’s belongings, because what I discovered in the process is now affecting my life.»Helen continues with her narrative, adding, “I was searching through my late mother’s possessions when I came upon a very old, half-torn book.
It turned out to be my mother’s personal diary, and she had only been actively writing in it for two years, before I was born.» Helen reported that the title page included some handwritten writing in which her mother requested that anyone who found this journal stay away from it and respect her privacy. Despite the warning, Helen overcame her regret and began reading it.
The woman stated, “I knew I was doing a very disrespectful thing by ignoring mom’s prohibition on reading the content of this book.” But I was grieving; I really wanted a piece of her in my life, and I believed she would forgive me for reading her diary.» Helen remarked, “While reading it, I finally understood why my brother had been behaving in such a strange way throughout my conscious life.”
The truth is that he turned out to be my father rather than my brother!Helen explained: “Mom said that when she married my father, he had three adult children and she had none. Mom and dad both wanted to have a child together, but dad had terrible health difficulties that caused severe complications, one of which being that he could no longer have children.»
Helen adds, “Mom stated that they didn’t want to utilize a male donor’s material for fertilization, so they asked dad’s son, Sam, to be the actual donor. According to mom, they both believed it was the greatest decision. She wrote in her notebook that their child would inherit its father’s genes, and they knew Sam’s health, demeanor, and intelligence, making him an excellent donor. And Sam agreed to help.
Helen concluded, “So, I am 36 now. And now I understand that my “father” is my grandfather, my “brother” is my father, and my two “sisters” are my aunts. Mom said that she and dad were nervous and perplexed about telling me about this. Dad died many years ago, carrying this secret with him to the cemetery, and Mom died recently, and the truth was exposed after her death. I wish I could hear it all from her; it would have clarified so much for me.»Helen admitted that when she discovered this familial truth, she “couldn’t recover from shock.”
The woman stated, “This was all so unexpected, and it’s now making my relationship with Sam nearly impossible.” I called him shortly after I found out, first congratulating him on the birth of his baby boy, and then telling him the truth. He was numb, and then he began ranting at me, blaming it on me for reading the diary without permission, and even starting calling me names and directly upsetting me. He had never done this before, so I was stunned and afraid, and I assumed our relationship was over.
Helen concluded, “Sam and I cut ties, but it’s so painful, and I really want him back in my life.” I want to talk to him about everything, and I want us to have a healthy relationship after I discovered the secrets of the past. But he departed from my life, and I have no idea what he called his child. I feel like I’m dead for him now, but I can’t understand where my responsibility lies.»
And here’s another story about a woman whose life was forever changed when she discovered an ordinary tampon in her husband’s possessions. This lead her to such a stunning discovery that she now wishes to flee from her beloved spouse.