When the World Fell Silent

by Donna Jones Alward

Gram always said that the reason you have eyes in the front of your head was to look to the future, not the past.

Perhaps if I thought of today as a new beginning rather than an ending, that would help.

I’d thought love meant settling and perhaps even boredom, but the reality was so different. It was kindness and patience and steadfastness. It was knowing what the other person needed and doing it with a glad heart, not for any sort of reward other than love itself.

“I thought I understood what love was, but now I know what it’s not. It’s not being swept off my feet and romanced, not about being reckless. It’s about being with someone who sees you at your worst and loves you anyway. Who knows what you need and gives it unreservedly.”

“I love your family, Nora. And home is where you are.