The loss of a loved one is terribly upsetting and can be life-changing. sometimes we hold on to things to remind us of that person. A piece of clothing, an object, their perfume or in this case a voicemail.

When Jerlene Tinnin passed away almost 10 years ago, she left behind a loving son named Dexter. It was a very difficult time for the man. He leaned on his wife and children for support and love through the early moments.

Over time, his family noticed that he seemed very loyal to a specific type of phone. When asked why he responded that his mother’s message was on his voicemail and changing phone types wouldn’t keep the message. Dexter frequently listened to his mother’s voice for a sense of peace. He still missed her deeply despite the time that had passed.

When the holidays approached, Deter’s family decided to do something special for him. They bought a teddy bear that played the audio recording of his mother’s message. It was wrapped up and given to him on Christmas morning.

At first Dexter seemed softly pleased with what he thought was just a cute teddy bear from his girls. He then squeezed it and heard his mother’s voice. He broke down in tears.

“In a word she was my foundation,” Dexter explained in an interview “You always felt like everything was okay if she was there.”

“I think about her every day,” he continued. “The holidays are no different but the holidays seem to be a little difficult. She was already on my mind that morning.”

my dad refuses to get an iphone because a voicemail from his mom that passed away won’t transfer from an android, so me and my sister put it in a bear. merry christmas dad pic.twitter.com/m1yOOawWO9

— melia (@meliatinnin) December 25, 2018