- the gift -

"Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly."
 - proverb

There's a movie that I absolutely love called "Return to Me" starring David Duchovny and Minnie Driver in which Duchovny's character loses his wife in a car accident. His wife was an organ donor and Driver's character receives her heart, then writes a letter to Duchovny expressing her gratitude for the gift of life his loved one gave her. Duchovny and Driver eventually meet, but she doesn't know he's the organ donor's widow and he doesn't know she's the recipient. Her heart skips a beat whenever he's near and she doesn't quite understand why. They eventually fall in love, but when he learns that his wife's heart has made a home inside Driver's body, he freaks out and can't handle it. She runs away to Europe and the movie ends with him following her there to win her back. He places his ear to her heart, as if he's finally home. It's very touching and makes me cry every time I see it.

In one part of the movie, Duchovny receives the letter but can't bring himself to read it. He stashes it away in his pocket only to come across it later, at which point he sits on the floor and reads it with his dog, sobbing the whole time. It's a painful scene - so raw, so real. I know now how that feels firsthand.
My sister was an organ donor. I received a letter yesterday explaining the outcome of her donation. I struggled with whether or not I could open the letter...I turned it over and almost broke the seal about twenty times before finally putting it down. This morning, I opened it. I was pretty emotional and am still at a loss for words, but I'll say this - it gives me a sense of peace to know that she is, in essense, still alive. Her gift allowed others to live a better life, and I am so proud of her for that selfless act.