学文网Charlotte and Katie's parents died within months of each other, but every birthday the sisters receive cards from their mother with almost unbearably touching words of guidance.
There is just a small pile of no more than half a dozen cards and a couple of labels from Christmas and birthday presents. But Charlotte Matalon produces each of the items from her Special Box, which she keeps beside her bed, as if they are priceless jewels.
She looks at the card dated October 1996. "My darling Charlotte." she reads, barely needing to look since she knows it by heart. "I am writing this card because I have recently found out that sadly I will not be with you on your 10th birthday..."
Six weeks after writing this tragic message, Debra Matalon, Charlotte's mother died from breast cancer. She was just 35, but she has provided a unique legacy.
Before she died, Debra wrote a birthday card to each of her two daughters, Charlotte, now 11, and 10-year-old Katie. For them to open every birthday. It is this gesture which has helped the girls come to terms with their terrible grief.
So far they have each received two messages from their mother. There are also a couple more cards in their sad little boxes. These are from their father Alan, sent while he, too, was in hospital. Too weak to write, he just managed to gather the strength to sign a faltering "Daddy".
The girls, who now live with their grandparents, carefully store the cards back in their boxes and put them away. They each have My Mummy & Me and My Daddy & Me photo albums, which they scan while trying to grasp any fresh insight into their parents, or recall the lives they had as a family.
The cards Debra has left them contain a mixture of practical advice for growing girls and simple statements of a mother's love for her children. Reading those words, the sisters feel, was to discover, that their mother seems to be still with them.
Both often think of what their mother has said in her card "I want you to know that you have always been very special and I have and always will love you dearly..."
After writing to Charlotte about growing up and the change from being a girl to a young woman, Debra adds: "Please have fun on your 11th birthday and remember Mummy and Daddy are always with you."
Both girls have written letters to their parents in reply. Charlotte telling them about how she went bowling and about a trip to London Zoo. Katie has written how she will never forget her Daddy. "I know he's still with me."
Writing about womanhood. Debra said: "I remember how embarrassed I was at the time, just remember that every single 10 to 14-year-old has gone through these changes, so don't be afraid and don't be embarrassed."
Charlotte puts the card down. "There are times when I'd like to be able to ask Mummy things." She says. "Just things about life and what to do in a difficult situation at school or whatever."
But she knows there are more cards to come. She doesn't know when or how many, but Debra has given a far greater legacy than her will could ever provide. "A present doesn't say what you think. "Charlotte says. "but a card does."
And then she reads the words that echo more powerfully than any. "You are a wonderful girl and remember what Mummy and Daddy have taught you. Look after one another. Lots of love, as always, Mummy."
夏洛特和凯蒂的父母几个月内相继离开了人世……但是，每个生日，姐妹俩都能收到母亲的贺卡，卡片上语重心长的教诲让人感动不已。
六七张贺卡和两份书签，这就是夏洛特・马特龙收到的圣诞礼物和生日礼物。这些卡片被她视为无价珍宝，精心保存在床头一个特制的盒子里。
她凝视着一张日期为1996年10月的贺卡，“我亲爱的夏洛特，”她读道，几乎不用看，她已经能背下来了。“我不能与你共度十岁的生日，这令我很难过，特寄此卡片以表祝贺……”
写下卡片6个星期后，她的妈妈黛布拉・马特龙因***癌去世了。她只有35岁，却给女儿留下了一笔独特的遗产。
临终前，黛布拉分别给两个女儿写好了生日贺卡。今年11岁的夏洛特，还有10岁的凯特,每逢生日都会收到贺卡。正是这种良苦用心，帮助姐妹俩战胜了难以承受的巨大悲痛。
到现在为止，她们已经分别收到了母亲两张卡片。在那令人心酸的小盒子里，还存放着另外一些卡片，那是他们的父亲阿伦寄来的。他还在医院的时候，身体就已经虚弱得无法动手写字了，但他仍竭尽全力颤抖着写下了歪歪斜斜的“爸爸”二字。
姐妹俩现在与祖父母住在一起，她们小心翼翼地把每张卡片放进盒子里，储存下来。她们各有一个名为“我和爸爸”、“我和妈妈”的相册，这样，她们可以随时拿出来看，回忆父母的点点滴滴，重温昔日家庭生活的温馨。
黛布拉留下的卡片里，有帮助女儿成长的实践性建议，也饱含了一个母亲对女儿最深沉的爱。读到那些话语，姐妹俩就觉得母亲依然和她们在一起。
她们经常想起卡片上母亲的话：“希望你们知道自己永远与众不同，我永远深爱你们……”
在写给夏洛特的卡片上，谈到了她的成长，谈到一个女孩转变为年轻女人的过程。黛布拉接着写道：“祝你11岁生日快乐，记住，妈妈和爸爸永远和你在一起。”
姐妹俩都给父母回信。夏洛特告诉他们她怎么玩保龄球，还有去伦敦动物圆游玩的情形。凯蒂曾写道，她永远忘不了爸爸。“我知道他还和我们在一起。”
谈到女性问题，黛布拉说道：“我还记得那时自己的困惑，要记住，每一个10至14岁的女孩都会经历这些变化，所以，不要害怕，也不要惊慌。”
夏洛特放下卡片，“很多时候，我真的想问妈妈一些问题。”她说，“比如关于生命，或者学习上的困难等等。”
但是，她知道还会有更多的卡片寄过来，只是不知道什么时候或者还有多少。然而，黛布拉给孩子们留下的遗产，价值远远超过遗嘱的分量。“一份礼物不能表尽内心的想法，”夏洛特说，“但是，一张卡片却能。”
接着她读出的这些话语，比任何东西都更富感染力，更能引起共鸣，“你是一个了不起的女孩，记住妈妈和爸爸的嘱咐，你们姐妹俩要互相照顾，妈妈永远深爱着你们。”