Losing a child is devastating!  You try to find things to hold on to to keep their memory alive.  Well, these parents were so surprised when they found a secret message from their deceased daughter.

Back in December, 12 year old Athena Orchard was diagnosed with cancer.  While that is devastating enough, Athena lost the battle.  Her family was overcome with grief.  They could no longer hold her, hug her and would never hear anything from her again.  Or at least that is what they thought.

A few days after Athena passed away, her father, Dean, began moving around some of her belongings.  That is when he was blown away with the most amazing hidden message ever!

After she was diagnosed, Athena began writing on the back of her stand up mirror.

"It was a stand-up mirror in her room, and it was always lent up against the wall so we never saw behind it.  She never mentioned it, but it's the kind of thing she'd do."

Athena left behind over 3,000 words.  The family became overwhelmed.  She was with them and sending them love.  Here is some of what was written:

Happiness depends upon ourselves.”

“Maybe it’s not about the happy ending, maybe it’s about the story.”

“The purpose of life, is a life of purpose. ”

“Love is rare, life is strange, nothing lasts and people change.”

"Love is not about who you can see spending your future with, it’s about who you can’t see spending your life without.”

“Thank you for existing. Be happy, be free, believe, forever young.

“Every day is special, so make the most of it. You could get a life-ending illness tomorrow so make the most of every day.”

Athena Orchard will be laid to rest on June, 12.
What an amazing story!  You can get more of the story here.

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