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Ray Donnelly
Age 48 · Single Dad to Nora (15)
Letters & lessons for my girl — written while I still have time to write them.
Why I Started This
I became a single dad when Nora was six years old. She's fifteen now, and I'll be honest with you — I'm still figuring it out.
I'm not a man of many words in person. I'm better on paper. So this is my attempt to say the things I don't always manage to say out loud: what I believe, what I've learned, what I want her to know about herself and about the world.
Nora, if you're reading this — hello. Yes, I wrote you a whole website. You're welcome. I love you more than I've ever known how to say.
Letters for Nora
Lessons I Hope She Keeps
Core Values
Honesty
Say what's true, even when it's easier not to. People remember who tells them the truth.
Reliability
Do what you said you'd do. Show up when you said you would. This is rarer than you think.
Resilience
You don't have to be okay right away. You just have to keep going.
Humour
Find the funny version of hard things. It doesn't make them less real — it makes them bearable.
A Life in Progress
Born in Cork, Ireland — youngest of four
Moves to the United States; starts over with very little
Meets Claire — the best and most turbulent chapter
Nora is born — everything changes immediately and permanently
Becomes a single dad; figures it out day by day
Writes this — while Nora is fifteen and still willing to listen sometimes
Write it down while you can.
Single parent or not — your story matters and your kids deserve to know it.