“And because he was finally brave enough to speak the truth, and to let himself be loved, thousands of families no longer have to carry their darkest days alone.”

The applause, when it came, rose up warm and long and would not stop.

And afterward, when the crowd had thinned, Lily came up the steps and wrapped her arms around my waist and pressed her face into my shoulder.

“You were amazing, Mom,” she whispered.

“Your dad would be so proud of you, sweetheart,” I said, kissing the top of her head.

“Look at you in that coat.” She pulled back and looked up at me with her father’s steady eyes, and she said, with a quiet certainty far beyond her years, “I’m going to be a doctor, Mom.