In a 2019 letter addressed to Apricity, Ryan recalls Penny, a stray tabby cat that Apricity fed on the porch because her father was allergic. After Penny was struck and killed, Jet told Apricity that Penny was gone "for good," prompting Apricity to ask what was good about it, and both mother and daughter cried.

Ryan explains that Jet’s grief was compounded by a recent loss at work: Jet had saved a baby boy during a difficult delivery, but the infant died after four hours. The following day Jet found Penny dead and cried, "I can’t save anyone!" Ryan gently counters this, asking Jet (through the letter) to hear him out, and tells Apricity that the four hours of the baby’s life "meant everything."

Ryan broadens the idea of salvation, insisting it is not an all-or-nothing ingredient but often a slow accumulation of small, faithful acts. He offers examples: a work of art taking years, consistent ice cream or therapy between a mother and son, refilling a bowl of milk daily for a stray, a physician wresting more months from a patient’s illness, and a granddaughter giving an old man added years.

He states that both truths stand together: Apricity saved him, and he is dying; it was always going to be so. He recalls his own childhood memory of his mother rescuing baby sparrows until wildlife rescuers collected them, concluding that their eventual deaths do not erase the fact that they were fully saved at the time—just as Apricity’s saving presence in his life is real despite his impending death.

Ryan then recounts a family moment at the kitchen bar when he untangled Apricity’s Elsa necklace and Apricity asked where babies come from. Jet and Kendi offered partial answers about birth and Jet’s role, leading Apricity to ask if it hurt when she was born. When Jet said Apricity had a big head, Apricity apologized, and Jet reassured her that she had done nothing wrong because birth is not a choice.

Reflecting on choices and inevitabilities, Ryan tells Apricity she entered the world like a "starburst" and carried him along her light. He affirms there is goodness ahead because of who she is: she does not hide from pain or play, her joy is stubborn, and she has both open eyes and an open heart. He links her strength to her maternal lineage and calls her radiant. He signs off, "Yours always, Pops," anchoring his farewell in love and gratitude.