NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – One by one, they came unexpectedly, but they were a surprising welcome.

“Sorry for your loss,” read Nashville Mayor John Cooper.

Letters from across the United States have been sent directly to the City of Nashville. Each one offered condolences after six people, including three children, were killed in the Covenant School shooting.

“Beautiful, a lot of attention, lot of love, colors, images, a lot of creativity and soul in each one, and from all over the 50 states,” described Cooper.

The letters are decorated with hearts, and many of them contain handwritten prayers.

“I’ve talked to family members about this, of our victims, and they are fascinated and frankly […] they are comforted,” Cooper said. “The fact that you’ve got school kids from all over America, being connected with their hearts to Nashville and to them and the families, it’s an inspiration for all of us and hopefully a moment of rededication.”

The reality of elementary school students coming to terms with what happened inside the walls of The Covenant School is not lost on the mayor. In the days following the shooting, he spoke about the need of coming together as a community and pushing for “red flag” laws to be in place for the state.

The mayor plans on sharing the letters with the Metro Nashville Police Department precincts as a reminder of their life-saving work that day. Cooper also mentioned wanting to share some of the cards with the families of The Covenant School victims.