Daughter put mom’s ashes in a bottle so she can ‘travel the world’ — leaves note for the 'finder'

Mothers spend most of their lives caring and providing for their children — they fulfill all the kids' wishes in their capacity while often compromising on their own. However, more and more children are realizing that their mother is also just a girl, living her life for the first time, wanting to have new experiences, with the pressure of responsibilities stifling her dreams. Cara Melia, whose mother passed away before she could explore the world, put her ashes in a bottle with a note and set her out at sea, as per the BBC.

Melia’s mom, Wendy Chadwick, died in February 2025 due to a heart condition at the age of 51. The single mother of 5 spent her whole life caring for others — she became a caregiver to her brother and mother during their final days, and also became the best parent for her kids. Barely breathing under the weight of those responsibilities, the beach was the only place that made her truly ecstatic and feel closest to her dream of traveling. After her passing, the 24-year-old Melia went on a trip to Skegness, a town in England along the coast of the North Sea, where she decided to scatter her ashes — but her best friend pitched an idea that turned out to be an even better tribute for Chadwick.

With the intention of seeing her mum traveling through “Barbados” or “Spain,” Melia put some of her ashes in a glass bottle along with a note that read, “This is my mum. Throw her back in — she's travelling the world. Thanks: Cara, Oldham,” and threw it into the sea. However, within 12 hours of this act, the bottle was found by a tourist at the same beach, who had her son throw it back into the sea — but before that, she took pictures of the note, posted it on Facebook, and asked viewers to share it enough so it reaches Melia — to let her know that her mom was being sent back on her journey around the world. "I am hoping she goes further this time and finally gets a chance to travel the world. It seems to have touched so many people," Melia told the Manchester Evening News.

The life of a single mother is immeasurably challenging — from caring for her children and making ends meet to fulfilling their goals and dreams to sustain a happy life, a single mom has to go through a lot to make things happen. A study by Gina Marie Vyskocil talks about the challenges a single mom faces while also working hard towards her family's goals — the pressure of not only being a “good mother” but also of excelling at what she does can grow extremely heavy on her shoulders. Even though there is not much that young children can do to help their mother’s situation, older ones can ensure she lives her dreams by motivating her and sharing in her responsibilities. While most children never get around to realizing how much their mothers have given up for them, Melia and her friend's idea stands out as an amazing initiative that ensured at least one mother got to fulfill her only wish, even if posthumously.