“It still hurts, Momma,” he would reply quietly.

“Then we will take it one day at a time,” she answered, sitting by his side until he fell back asleep.

During the daytime, they focused on repairing small things around the farm together.

Christopher finally fixed the broken barn door latch he had brought weeks ago, repaired the loose porch steps his father had built, and replaced the kitchen sink faucet.

“You do not trust anything that leaks anymore,” Martha noted with a smile.