At 62, I decided to go on vacation alone for the first time, without my children. But when my daughter received this photograph of me on the beach, she began to shout, “Mom, STAY IMMEDIATELY AWAY FROM THAT MAN! YOUR LIFE IS IN DANGER!”

My children were terrified when they first saw her.

But now, every time my grandchildren ask who that thin man is who looks like grandfather, I smile and answer them:

“He’s someone who reminded me of his grandfather’s last wish.Book Trips

Then I point to the woman who appears laughing in the photograph.

And that’s his grandmother. The day he finally decided to start living again.

And every time I look at that photograph, I say in silence:

“Thank you, Thomas. You loved me even when I myself couldn’t love myself.”

And what would you do if your children tried to stop them from going on vacation alone for the first time? Would they dare to do so after they turned 60 or would they rather stay close to their family?