Page 59 of Staying Selfless

This feels strange, I must admit. I don’t know who to address this letter to, and if I can be honest, that makes me sad. If I had one wish, other than more time with my daughter, it’d be to know you.

My name is Josie Leo. My husband’s name was John, and we are Logan’s parents.

Though you and I have never met, I’ve thought about you for years.

I’ve wondered what your name would be. I’ve wondered what your family would be like, and I’ve even wondered if your parents and us would be friends.

Unfortunately, I’ll never know, but if I know one thing, it’s that you’re a good man. You have to be in order for my daughter to fall in love with you.

You see, the thing about Logan is that she is good. She’s sweet and smart and witty. Her heart is pure and full but also protected. She doesn’t open up easily, but once you’re in, you’re in.

I would assume that if you’re reading this, you already know all of that.

So, let me tell you some things you might not know.

Logan is a daddy’s girl. She’s tough, thanks to him. When John died, I couldn’t believe the strength my daughter showed, though I know her heart was broken.

John and Logan lived and breathed basketball. They spent hours upon hours on the court every week because that was her passion in life. And John’s passion was helping Logan shine. When she was offered a full ride to play basketball at Oregon, I can’t even explain to you the joy those two shared. Everything they had worked so hard for had finally paid off.

But when her dad died, Logan gave up her scholarship to stay home with me. I’m assuming you probably know this all by now. What you might not know is that not once did she complain or mention that she wasn’t playing basketball anymore or that she was living at home with me when she should’ve been having her college experience. She’s selfless that way, my girl.

Another thing you might not know is that when John was alive, he was going through testing to donate his kidney to me. Two days after her dad passed, Logan went to the doctor, without telling me, to begin testing to find out if she was a match. She didn’t hesitate for a moment. Logan was determined to save me.

I’ve got to say, I have a lot of guilt for the sacrifices my daughter has had to make for me. I just hope that once I’m gone, she starts to think about herself for once.

That’s where you come in.

I don’t know who you are or how you two met. I don’t even know how long you’ve been together, but what I do know is that if my daughter gave you this letter, you’re the real deal. I know how important we are to her, and she wouldn’t let just anybody read this.

There will never be enough words in the English language to express to you how much John and I love Logan. But now that we are gone, it’s your responsibility.

So that’s what this letter is for. It’s a plea, really. To love her and to protect her. To support her and cherish her. We aren’t there to do it, so please do it for us. We are passing the responsibility on to you.

I hope you treat her right. I hope that you challenge her to be the best version of herself as I would expect she does for you. And I hope that you show her all the things that life has to offer. She had to grow up way too quickly and take on responsibilities that should’ve never fallen on her shoulders in the first place. I hope you can ease the burden that life has placed on her. I hope you respect her for the strong woman she is and remind her of that when she’s feeling weak. I hope you make each other happy because she deserves to be, and I hope you can fill the void of family that she has lost.

I don’t know your name, but I know you’re lucky.

If I know my daughter, which I do, I can almost guarantee she will fall in love just once. As long as you’re good to her, I have a feeling you’ll be the only man she ever loves. And for that, you’re lucky.

She will make the most amazing partner one day, and I wish I were around to see her become a mother because she’s going to be incredible. She has a softness to her, which I hope never hardens. And I beg of you, please don’t ever take advantage of it. It’s rare to find these days.

If I could ask one more thing, please make her life easier. It’s been unfairly difficult on her, and she deserves some peace.

I might not know your name, but I hope you know how much John and I appreciate you. I’m sure that since Logan loves you, we would’ve too. Thank you for taking the responsibility of loving her enough for the two of us.

-Josie Leo

Dropping my head into my hands, I wipe my face, but it doesn’t do enough, so I use my shirt to clean up the rest of the already fallen tears.

Before Logan, I couldn’t tell you the last time I cried. But ever since that green-eyed girl came waltzing into my life, swinging her wine-colored hair around, it’s like I can’t stop. And I find myself being okay with it. I didn’t feel much before her unless it was in regards to my family, but now it’s as if all my senses are turned on, and I can finally feel everything I’m supposed to.

I don’t like to think about my life before her. It was pretty empty and meaningless. My only focus was hockey, and the only person I really cared about, outside of my family, was myself. Even though I still had the prospect of an amazing career, it didn’t mean nearly as much without her by my side.

Now, I find myself caring about my teammates, my girl, and for the woman who wrote me this letter even though she and I never met.

I’ve been wanting to know about the woman who raised my favorite girl, and apparently, she wanted to know me too.

I down the rest of my whiskey as I reread Josie’s words. I can’t believe I’m getting this insight into Logan’s past and family. It’s also pretty cool that I’ve viewed her daughter in the exact way that Josie describes her, ever since the day I met her.

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