Before Dying, She Told Her Husband About a Secret Box. When He Opened It, He Cried

Mary, a cancer patient, told her husband John about a secret box she had hidden for the last 50 years of their marriage. When John opened the box, the contents made him cry.

One month after their 50th wedding anniversary, Mary was diagnosed with lung cancer. The news was devastating. They had never imagined that something like this would happen to them. Having been married for this long and not having children but only each other to rely on, this was a tragic blow to their lives.

The cancer was aggressive, and Mary’s health declined rapidly. She started chemotherapy and radiation therapy, but the treatments were difficult and had many side effects. Mary lost her hair, her appetite, and her energy. She was often in pain, and she had to spend a lot of time in the hospital.

But John was determined to do everything he could to help his wife. He attended to all of her needs, including helping her with her medications. Even when she didn’t have much of an appetite, he took care of her at home and made her favorite meals. When she lost her hair, he shaved both of their heads and helped her apply her makeup to cheer her up. No matter what, he was always there for her. He would hold her hand when she was in pain and tell her every day that he loved her. He was her biggest ally, and he never gave up on her.

The cancer took a toll on both John and Mary. They were both exhausted and stressed. They had to deal with not just the emotional burden but also the financial burden of the treatment. But they never gave up hope. They knew that they had to fight together, and they did. As Mary’s condition worsened, their love for each other grew stronger. They cherished every moment, knowing that their time together was precious.

The couple shared a lot in common and knew everything about each other. However, there was something John didn’t know about Mary, something that would break his soul when he would later discover it. It was a secret for the past 50 years of their marriage. Mary had kept the secret from John, but as her condition worsened, she realized it was time to tell him.

“I have something to show you,” Mary said one day in a weak voice. “It’s something I’ve kept hidden for a long time.”

John followed Mary into the bedroom and watched as she opened the closet door. Inside, on the top shelf, was a small wooden box. Mary reached up and took the box down, then handed it to John. His heart raced with anticipation as he opened the box. Inside, he found two carefully crafted dolls, confused and curious, John turned to Mary for an explanation.

Mary told him the truth about the strange dolls. Her mother had taught her that whenever her husband made her sad, she should knit a doll instead of arguing or nagging. This way, she could express her unhappiness without having to start a fight over it.

John reached out and touched one of the dolls. It was made of soft white yarn and had a sad expression on its face. His wife had made the dolls when she was unhappy in their marriage. He felt relieved to see that there were only two dolls. To him, it meant that he had made his beloved wife unhappy only twice in 50 years. However, there was more to the story.

John’s eyes widened as he noticed something else in the box: a small white envelope. He opened the envelope and saw some money inside.

He was surprised to see so much money and wondered where it came from. Jon curiously asked his wife about the stack of money in the box. He wondered if she had been saving up the home upkeep he had been giving her all these years. However, with a gentle smile on her pale face, Mary told him that it was the money she made from selling dolls.

John was now very confused. He thought his wife only made two dolls, but Mary revealed that she had knitted countless dolls and sold them over the years. John was overwhelmed. He was shocked to learn that his wife had been unhappy so many times in their marriage.

He now realized that at times he had focused only on his own happiness while neglecting that of his wife. He had never noticed the small signs that she was unhappy, such as the way she would sigh when he came from work or the way she would avoid talking about her day.

Yet his wife chose to endure her unhappiness in silence rather than disturb him about it. He had always thought that they had a perfect relationship, but now he realized that he had been wrong.

John apologized for any pain he had caused her. He was grateful for her love and forgiveness. He vowed to be a better husband to her, no matter how little time they had left. Mary smiled gently at her husband.

She was glad that he had finally understood the depth of her love for him. She assured him of her unconditional love and forgiveness. John and Mary held each other tightly, tears of joy and relief streaming down their faces. Mary had finally found the closure they needed, and they were ready to face whatever the future held.

As the days passed, the couple continued to cherish their moments together, expressing their love in the most beautiful ways. They would talk for hours, laugh until their sides hurt, and hold each other close as they slept.

One day, though, John decided it was time to surprise Mary with his own secret box. He handed it to her with a smile, and she opened it with anticipation. Instead, she found countless papers, each bearing the words “I love you.” She asked him what it meant, and John explained to her.

He had written those words whenever she hurt his feelings. John had always decided to forgive Mary instead of getting angry or resentful. He knew that Mary would never want to hurt him intentionally, so he chose to focus on the love they shared.

Mary was deeply touched and surprised. She genuinely thought that she never really offended her husband. She felt guilty for hurting Jon even unintentionally. She hugged Jon tightly and thanked him for his forgiveness.

John held Mary and told her that he understood her intentions. He said that forgiveness was at the core of their love and that he would always love her no matter what. They shared a moment of reconciliation, and their love grew even deeper. The dolls and the secret box became symbols of their marriage.

It showed them the power of sacrifice, forgiveness, and understanding. They knew that their marriage had not been perfect, but they were determined to make it work. They held on to these lessons tightly, embracing the depth of their love.

Unfortunately, fate had one more trial in store for them. A few days after their conversation about the boxes, Mary suffered a major cardiac arrest. She was rushed to the hospital where doctors diagnosed her as brain dead. This meant that she was in a coma; her brain had stopped functioning, yet she was still breathing.

John was devastated by the report. He couldn’t accept the doctor’s prognosis and held on to the hope that Mary would miraculously wake up. Despite knowing that it went against her wishes, he asked the doctors to keep her on life support because he feared the thought of letting her go. Day after day, he watched over her, clinging to the hope that things would miraculously change.

But as the days turned into six months, it became clear that Mary would never regain consciousness.

The weight of the situation weighed heavily on John’s heart. He knew that he had to make the difficult decision to remove Mary from life support. With tears streaming down his face, he held her hand, whispered his love, and told the doctors to turn off the machine.

John’s heart was shattered by the loss of his beloved Mary, yet he found comfort in the memories they had together. When he got home, he took the secret box his now late wife Mary had given him before she died.

When he opened it again, he cried. John looked at the dolls and felt grateful for her love and forgiveness. He closed the box and put it away. He knew that he would never forget Mary and that he would cherish her memory for the rest of his life.

What a beautiful love story indeed. True relationship is about two imperfect people refusing to give up on each other.