For three years I couldn’t be with my family. The longing led me back to a simple memory: resting my head on my mother. I began to look for that feeling in other mother–child relationships. My mom and I have always exchanged handwritten letters, so I asked the people I photographed to write one to their children—advice to carry forward. These images and letters are a record of tenderness when touch wasn’t possible.

After three years apart, I began where the letters began: a single portrait of my mother, the force behind this vision. The series opens with her.