This Father’s Day was unlike any other for Bobbie Thomas’ soon-to-be 6-year-old son, Miles. Thomas’ husband, Michael Marion, died last December, making Sunday the first time Miles experienced the holiday without his father.
But the TODAY contributor found a way to help her son send his dad a message all the same, and she shared that tender moment on Instagram.
“Special delivery 🎈 from the sweetest little boy with the biggest heart…” Thomas wrote alongside two touching photos. In one, she stands beside Miles as he prepares to release a few colorful balloons. Attached to one of them is a message, which the second pic reveals to be a handmade card from Miles wishing Marion a happy Father’s Day. The message is punctuated with a red heart.
“Miles wanted to make sure his Father’s Day wishes made it to Daddy in heaven,” Thomas wrote.
Most of the comments that followed also featured red hearts, including ones from members of Thomas’ TODAY family, including Hoda Kotb, Jenna Bush Hager, Maria Shriver, Jill Martin and Donna Farizan.
Related
The beautiful and bittersweet celebration follows another special occasion Thomas shared with fans and followers last month. May 31 would have been her and Marion’s eighth wedding anniversary.
“Our first anniversary without you … I can’t help but remember this win for us last year today,” she wrote next to a clip of her and Marion on a day filled with hope and joy. Though he’d endured mobility loss and other health issues after suffering a stroke in 2019, on that day, he carefully took steps on his own, with his wife right by his side.
Related
To that she added the lyrics from Sean “Diddy” Combs and Faith Evans’ 1997 hit, “I’ll Be Missing You”: “Every step I take, every move I make / Every single day, every time I pray / I'll be missing you / Thinkin' of the day, when you went away / What a life to take, what a bond to break / I'll be missing you.”
In March, prior to those important dates, Thomas shared an update in which she mentioned facing all the firsts this year will hold with strength and hope.
“Miles and I are working to establish a new routine, which is hard, but we’re slowly starting to resume some of the activities that make us feel like us again," she explained. "There are going to be so many firsts for us this year, but I feel a little stronger than I did yesterday, and hopeful for the days to come.”