Ask Amy: How one act of kindness reunited a family through old photos

Dear Amy: “Holding History” wrote about finding old photos of her ex’s family members during a clean-out.

I faced this exact situation when cleaning out our home of 39 years.

I found photos from my deceased sister that included her ex-husband as a child, his parents, and other long-lost relatives of his.

I decided to try and find her ex. Unfortunately, I discovered that he and his (second) wife were also deceased.

They, however, had a child that I was able to locate. I sent him a message via Facebook Messenger explaining who I was and why I was contacting him.

He replied that he would love to receive them.

Afterward he contacted me and said he had never seen pictures of his dad as a kid, or pictures of his grandparents in their younger years, and that he could not thank me enough.

He said it filled a void in his life. It also made me feel good that I was able to do this for him.

– No Longer Holding

Dear No Longer Holding: I recently received a copy of an essay my mother wrote about 40 years ago.

This came out of the blue, and from a stranger.

I urge anyone who is able to perform a similar act of generosity to do so.

(You can email Amy Dickinson at [email protected] or send a letter to Ask Amy, P.O. Box 194, Freeville, NY 13068. You can also follow her on Twitter @askingamy or Facebook.)

©2023 Amy Dickinson. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.