When a Grieving Family Turned Over Their Deceased Daughter's Mirror, They Got an Amazing Surprise

While 12-year-old Athena Orchard's family thought they would never hear her words again after she died last week, ending her battle with cancer, they discovered a hidden message penned on the back of her bedroom mirror.

"It was a stand-up mirror in her room, and it was always lent up against the wall so we never saw behind it," the English girl's father Dean said, according to the Leicester Mercury. "She never mentioned it, but it's the kind of thing she'd do."

"She was a very spiritual person, she'd go on about stuff that I could never understand – she was so clever," the grieving 33-year-old continued. "When I moved the mirror after she died I couldn't believe it, I saw all this writing – it must have been about 3,000 words. It's so touching. When I first saw it, it just blew me away."

Here are some excerpts of what the girl, who was only diagnosed with a cancerous tumor on her spine a few months ago, wrote:

“Happiness depends upon ourselves.

“Maybe it’s not about the happy ending, maybe it’s about the story.

“The purpose of life is a life of purpose.

“The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra. Happiness is a direction not a destination.

“Thank you for existing. Be happy, be free, believe, forever young.

“You know my name, not my story.

“You have heard what I’ve done, but not what I’ve been through.

“Love is like glass, looks so lovely, but it’s easy to shatter.

“Love is rare, life is strange, nothing lasts and people change.

“Every day is special, so make the most of it. You could get a life-ending illness tomorrow so make the most of every day.

“Life is only bad if you make it bad.

“If someone loves you then they wouldn’t let you slip away no matter how hard the situation is.

“Remember that life is full of ups and downs, without the downs the ups don’t mean anything.

“I’m waiting to fall in love with someone I can open my heart to.

“Love is not about who you can see spending your future with it’s about who you can’t see spending your life without.

“Life is a game for everyone but love is the only prize.”

Dean Orchard told the newspaper that when he first discovered the message, he had to stop midway through because "it was too much -- it was heartbreaking."

(H/T: Daily Mail)

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Front page image Caters News Agency via Twitter.

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