Teen wrote a deeply personal note after losing his beloved horse — decades later, his mom’s revelation left him overwhelmed
Finding things from the past can evoke a lot of emotions in humans, because nostalgia aside, it is also a reminder of how much they have grown as a person. A writer and teacher named Joseph Fasano (@joseph.fasano) reconnected with his past after stumbling upon a note his mother had stored for decades. When he was 15, the then-teenager lost his beloved horse, whom he used to call "Gallop." Decades later, he found a bittersweet note about his pet that his mum had stored all these years, and it left him stunned. Sharing what he found on Sunday, April 19, 2026, the man was overwhelmed with emotion.
Fasano was 15 when his horse, Gallop, who was very dear to him, died. Years later, his mum revealed a note that she had kept hidden from him. The note was written by him at the time when he had lost his beloved pet, and the grief was still new. In the tear-jerking note, he recalled brushing his beloved horse's hair and how he had found a strand of his hair in a planter. In those few lines, he mentioned something important, something that helped him heal through the grief — "We can't save the dead, but we can free them." Years later, coming across the letter, a sense of nostalgia and pride filled him, knowing that his 15-year-old self was able to articulate his feelings with so much conviction.
A research study published in PMC, pet grief can cause the same amount of grief for pet owners as a human loss. This indicates the role of continuing bonds, which the research states, "identifying appropriate bonds can be useful to moderate the intensity of grief and be a valuable mechanism of support." His note to his lost horse spoke of the emotion he had been in his heart post his death. But it also showed how he was ready to let go of his beloved animal, which speaks of the maturity at a young age. This level of maturity must have impressed his mother, who wanted to preserve it for his future self to revisit.
Fasano's post was well-appreciated by online users who shared their thoughts on it. @melhucksoul commented, "Of course she did, it's a proud mom thing! I still have every drawing my son has done, his creative writing, and report cards. Can't bear to throw any of it away." @petitchoufox wrote, "My son wrote a note when he was younger after he and his brother found a frog they named Jim, but then they had to let him go so he could live his best frog life. I’ll keep it forever." @susanne_t_cats added, "I love this so much because it is how death and memory are set free and our love for them is stronger than death itself."
For more heartfelt and wholesome content, follow @joseph.fasano on Threads.
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