If you could reflect on one thing, it’s this:

How do you process loss and grief?

This letter is for anyone who’s lost their greatest ally and has been grieving ever since.

The writer speaks to Monica Macansantos, author of Returning to My Father’s Kitchen: Essays. She expresses how her former teacher’s book gave her permission to feel what her family wouldn’t talk about: the pain of losing a loved one who was more than a parent.

Her father was her greatest ally, her champion, and the inspiration behind her curiosity and creativity. The writer paints a portrait of healing that doesn’t erase the pain but, instead, carries it with her.

If you’ve ever felt pressure to suppress your grief, yet longed to honor a loved one in a way that feels true to you, then this one’s for you.

This concludes TFAW Project’s Letters — Holiday Edition! 🎁

Thank you for listening, and we’ll see you again for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May 2026! 👋🏽🎉

What can I do in the meantime?

Subscribe for off-season content!

🗓 Find out when our next Family Potluck event will be! (Tentative date: March 27, 2026)

✍🏽 When you subscribe, you can also submit a letter or respond to a published one, anonymously!

If you could reflect on one thing, it’s this:

Which memories define you, or don’t define you anymore?

This letter is for anyone who simply wants to feel safe, secure, and stable in her friendships.

Through a flashback sparked by a new friend around a bonfire, the writer recalls a time when she was bullied, labeled “lesser than,” and ambushed by a group of girls who she thought were her people.

If you ever struggled to defend yourself for something you didn’t do, this one’s for you.

Join us for our FINAL Family Potluck: Vision Board Workshop this Monday, December 22nd!

If you could reflect on one thing, it’s this:

How do you communicate with your family versus in the workplace?

This letter is for anyone who grew up in a home where tsismis (a.k.a. gossip) was connection, love, and entertainment, only to discover how it lands differently in the workplace.

The writer examines the differences between indirect communication at home and direct communication at work, and how a well-meaning effort to bond with colleagues nearly cost her her job.

If you ever felt torn between how you communicate at home versus at work, this one’s for you.