--- description: Her parents uploaded the letter to Facebook as a reminder to other families to cherish their time with their children. title: After This Girl Died Suddenly, Her Parents Discovered a Letter She Wrote to Her Future Self image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [viral](/tag/viral/) ## viral Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # After Girl Dies Suddenly, Parents Discover Letter She Wrote to Her Future Self  by [Olivia B. Waxman](/author/olivia-b-waxman/)  ## Olivia B. Waxman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Staff Writer Jan 13, 2014 5:28 PM CUT  by [Olivia B. Waxman](/author/olivia-b-waxman/)  ## Olivia B. Waxman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Staff Writer Jan 13, 2014 5:28 PM CUT Visit NBCNews.com for [breaking news](http://www.nbcnews.com "undefined"), [world news](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032507 "undefined"), and [news about the economy](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032072 "undefined") A Tennessee family recently discovered a letter that their deceased daughter wrote to her future self. According to [The TODAY Show](http://www.today.com/news/do-not-open-until-2023-deceased-girls-letter-her-future-2D11909666 "undefined"), after 12-year-old Taylor Smith died suddenly from pneumonia, her parents Mary Ellen Smith and Tim Smith of Johnson City, Tenn., discovered an envelope that said “To be opened by Taylor Smith on: April 13, 2023 ONLY!” and “unless said otherwise” below in minuscule writing. In the letter written last spring that her parents [posted on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152105353768286&set=a.10152105434543286&type=3&l=2b5e6ddbb2&theater "undefined") last week, she asks her future self if she has ever been out of the country on a plane and whether _Doctor Who_ is still on air. An aspiring lawyer, she also wonders what her college major is and whether she still believes in God. She concludes the message with words everyone can live by: --- > “” --- Her mother, Mary Ellen Smith, [told NBC’s Mike Taibbi](http://www.today.com/news/do-not-open-until-2023-deceased-girls-letter-her-future-2D11909666 "undefined") that she has received “letters from lots of parents who’ve said it’s encouraged them to love their kids and love each other.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/727/after-girl-dies-suddenly-parents-discover-letter-she-wrote-to-her-future-self/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/727/after-girl-dies-suddenly-parents-discover-letter-she-wrote-to-her-future-self/"},"headline":"After Girl Dies Suddenly, Parents Discover Letter She Wrote to Her Future Self","datePublished":"2014-01-13T17:28:31.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:06:37.170Z","description":"Her parents uploaded the letter to Facebook as a reminder to other families to cherish their time with their children.","url":"https://time.com/727/after-girl-dies-suddenly-parents-discover-letter-she-wrote-to-her-future-self/","keywords":["viral","Newsfeed","NBC","doctor who","today show"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Olivia B. Waxman","jobTitle":"Staff Writer","url":"https://time.com/author/olivia-b-waxman/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/viral/","name":"viral"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/727/after-girl-dies-suddenly-parents-discover-letter-she-wrote-to-her-future-self/","name":"After Girl Dies Suddenly, Parents Discover Letter She Wrote to Her Future Self"}}]}] ```