Mom Writes Daughter Comforting Lunch Box Notes After Dad's Death

Over the past year, Julie Clarke has been putting inspirational notes in her daughter Amelie's lunch box every day. After the family suffered a tragic loss, the note project took on an even deeper meaning.

Clarke's daily notes feature life lessons about the importance of kindness, the power of imagination and more. In September, the mom started posting photos of her notes on an Instagram account called Amelie's Lunch Notes.

On May 1, their lives were turned upside down when Amelie's dad John died suddenly after being stung by a yellow jacket, their local Tampa news station WTSP reported.

In the aftermath of the tragedy, one of Amelie's kindergarten classmates, Alice, wrote a comforting note to tell her "It [sic] okay to be sad." According to The Parent Toolkit, Clarke asked Alice's mom to post the note on the lunch note Instagram account.

The post prompted more classmates, teachers and other members of their Florida community to write notes to Amelie.

The notes include inspirational messages, kind wishes, colorful drawings, and quotes from sources ranging from Cinderella to Harry Potter.

Clarke resumed her daily note-writing as well. Her latest notes include reminders about her father's kindness and how many people love and support her.

Though Amelie is only 6 years old and may not always comprehend the longer words and sentences in the notes, Clarke told The Parent Toolkit she wants to show them to her again when she gets older.

"I don’t think the message is getting across all the time, but I hope to save them for later and can use them to teach her lessons in the future," she said.

Keep scrolling and visit Amelie's Lunch Notes on Instagram to see the sweet illustrated messages from her mom and community. To learn more about the Clarke family and donate to their memorial fund, visit their GoFundMe page.

H/T Babble