A Hidden Box of Love: Letters That Stopped Me While Cleaning

While I was cleaning my things—throwing away some garbage and organizing everything—something caught my attention. At first, I ignored it because I was really busy arranging my clothes. But after a few minutes, I went back to it.

What made me stop and smile was a white box. I wiped the dust off it since it hadn’t been cleaned for a long time, and when I opened it, it was full of love letters—not from a romantic partner, but from my classmates during my first year in college.

My heart felt heavy as memories from the past came rushing back. I started reminiscing about who I was as a first-year student. I’ve come so far already. Even though I haven’t graduated yet, seeing those letters from my classmates made me say to myself, “I’m proud of myself because I’ve reached third year despite all the hardships.”

These are the letters I received during my first year. There are 20 letters in total, because there were 20 of us in the class, and each of us received love letters from one another.

As I reread their letters, it felt like I was transported back to my first year. They saw something in me that I couldn’t see in myself. That was the theme of our letters—the personalities or traits we saw in others that they couldn’t see in themselves. I felt so happy knowing that they saw qualities in me that I never realized I had.

The letters may look cute on the outside, but what’s inside is deeply impactful. I truly appreciated them because it was my first time receiving love letters in college. That’s why I kept them—as a remembrance of them.

I also remembered that someone gave me a paper flower back then, and I was right—it was still there. The reason it was a paper flower was because, according to them, it would never wither. I kept it, and until now, the paper flower is still “alive.”

After finishing all 20 letters, I couldn’t stop smiling. I laughed at the lines saying that I have a future as a teacher. It really touched me because I never saw that in myself, especially since I’m afraid of public speaking.

One letter in particular—from my friend Kyla—made me smile so much while reading it. It was truly inspiring. I really want to become a teacher someday. It has always been my dream since I was a child because I want to teach students, even though I have a fear of public speaking. I know I can hone my skills and become a great teacher someday.

It has been two years since I received these letters, and I will never throw them away because I treasure every moment I shared with them.