The boiler was repaired, the office reopened, and life continued.

That night I walked through my own warm kitchen and stopped beside the refrigerator.

The shelves held eggs, vegetables, leftover soup, and enough milk for the week.

I stood there longer than necessary, appreciating something I would once have considered impossible to take for granted.

I wondered what the young Caroline would think if she could look forward for a minute.

Would she be surprised by the office or the endowment?