The postcards that will break your heart
HE HAD dreamed of travelling the world but died before he had the chance. That didn’t stop his devoted daughter from making his wish come true.
A YOUNG woman has fulfilled her late father’s retirement plans to travel the world.
Paula Butlewska enlisted the help of 20 close friends who love to travel. Together, they sent postcards from their trips abroad to her dad Edward, who passed away in 2012.
The dedicated daughter, 26, said she wanted to make sure Edward could follow their journey through the postcards addressed to heaven.
Altogether, more than 50 handwritten postcards were attached to balloons and released into the sky across Europe, Asia and America.
Paula visited six different countries — Chile, Peru, Bolivia, Spain, Belgium and the UK while her friends visited a total of 50 spots including cities across Israel, Jordan, Ireland, US, Albania, Italy, Germany, Turkey, France, Switzerland and Poland.
Paula, a PR Manager from Warsaw, Poland, set up a Facebook page to document the project.
She said: “My dad didn’t manage to fulfil his dreams of travelling — he’d told me a lot about his plans for retirement.
“One evening I thought to myself ‘Dad, you’ll go to all these places’ and I emailed my close friends about my idea.
“I believe it’s never too late, so together with friends we travel for him.
“To make sure he knows about each trip we send him a postcard, to heaven. It’s my therapy through the journey.”
Tragically Edward, a construction manager, suffered a brain aneurysm aged 61 while driving, causing him to lose consciousness and hit a truck.
“My dad was my buddy — we have exactly the same characters, he was a joker, a social butterfly and a really good man,” Paula said of her late father.
“I felt so angry when it first happened but this project has helped me. I feel I’m closer to him, or he’s closer to me.
“When I see a postcard sent by my friends I understand exactly what ‘the magic of friendships’ means.”
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