When the Rain Ends

by Mary Ellen Taylor

Her mind lingered in that odd space between awake and asleep where dreams, regrets, and worries flourished.

“What do you do when the bottom falls out?” she asked softly. “Bad times are guaranteed. God knows I’ve seen my share, and so have you. No getting around it. But if you hang in there long enough, the world does turn, and the good times follow.”

But memory was a tricky thing. It changed with time, emotions, and experience, like the beach did with the tides.

But that’s what grief did. It was patient, always lurking in the shadows, ready to spoil a happy moment, sour a day, or prompt unexpected tears.

“It never goes away. Most days, it does lose its edge, but every so often, when you least expect it, grief cuts. And maybe that’s not so terrible. That jab is a reminder that you loved her very much.”