This post originally appeared on @thegraygang and is reposted with permission. I’ve been following Tiffany Gray from @thegraygang for years. If you are looking for a mom who is both aspirational and completely down to earth, give her a follow.

One random day in November, my husband came home from work, holding a padded envelope. ‘Babe. This was in our mailbox. It’s from Harvard University and it’s addressed to Memphis.’

We didn’t have a clue, so we rushed downstairs to ask her. She responded so nonchalantly, ‘Oh yeah. I wrote them a few weeks ago, asking for advice on how to get accepted there one day. Wait. They wrote me back?!’

They sure did. The address she sent it to went to the Department of Earth Sciences, instead of admissions, but of course, I think that was pure fate. Because some man by the name of Paul Kelley took the time to write her the most considerate letter in return. The best line in the whole thing is when he says, ‘You may very well go on to be the best lawyer that’s ever been but you also might find a new path along the way. The world can be very surprising sometimes.’

Then he signed it:

Life truly is a gift.

Sincerely, Paul Kelley.

Laboratory Director.

For Christmas, I got it framed for her. People can be so good. Like blow-your-mind good.

—————————

Follow @mommyshortssquad if you want to read more of my favorite parenting stories from the amazing moms I follow.