CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) — For some people who have lost the special women in their lives, like Eva Mullen, Mother’s Day can bring more heartache than happiness.

“It was the day after Mother’s Day and I was kind of having a hard time because I’ve lost so many relatives like my mom, my grandmother, two of my brothers and my niece,” explained Chesapeake resident, Eva Mullen. 

As she was bringing in groceries on Monday, the doorbell rang and she opened the door to find her neighbor standing there with a piece of mail. 

“He told me a lady had just came past his house and she was riding around trying to find out who this card belonged to,” she said.

The neighbor told Mullen the woman had kept it in her junk drawer for a long time before searching for it’s rightful owner. 
When Mullen looked down at the belated birthday card, she instantly recognized the handwriting; her grandma who died 3 years ago. 

“Somehow I managed to forget your birthday, but I hope you know I didn’t forget about you. Happy belated birthday from your grandma, Eva Baughn, ” she read.

However, even more extraordinary than the timing of the letter, was the date it was written, 1999.

“I kept breaking down all last night every time I thought about it just to think that 20 years ago she was sending me a card and it just arrived, like I said, it’s still messing me up. It’s just hard to believe,” Mullen stated.

It was a thoughtful gesture proving there’s no such thing as ‘too late”.

“It just let me know that what God has for me, is for me, no one can stop my blessings because when God has something for you, it’s going to come sooner or later ,” Mullen smiled. 

10 On Your Side tried to track down the woman who’d kept it in her junk drawer all this time, but had no luck. 
Mullen says she’s not surprised it ended up in the wrong hands because her grandma was known to be off a digit or two when it came to addresses or phone numbers. 

She says she wanted to share her story to uplift other women missing their loved ones this week.