DEAR ABBY: A few years ago you printed a letter from a woman who stood at her mother's casket and regretted not telling her mom how much she had meant to her. She urged others not to make the same mistake.
I thought long and hard about her letter. I realized she was right. It took days, but I composed a letter to my father who was dying of prostate cancer. In it, I made reference to happy events in the past, and thanked him for raising me, loving me and staying involved in my life. I sent the letter to my mother and asked her to read it to him. My father called me a few days later. We both cried over the phone. He died a short while later, but he lives forever in my heart.
Abby, please urge readers who are in similar circumstances to do the same. I cannot stress the feeling of peace I have knowing I told my father how much he meant to me -- while he was still alive. -- MAURICE L. TATE, MALDEN, MASS.
DEAR MAURICE: I'm pleased that a letter in my column helped you communicate your love and gratitude to your father before it was too late. I often advise people to write to loved ones and express those sentiments because their letters usually become priceless keepsakes.