It is simply leaving a bright light on in the window so you can find your way back.”

I had to pause reading as my vision blurred with tears.

Chloe silently pushed a box of tissues across the table toward me.

I took a deep breath and continued reading her words.

PART 6

Aunt Madeline wrote beautifully about my parents and about those painful years after they tragically passed away.

She wrote about how quickly I had learned to make myself useful to everyone around me because feeling useful felt so much safer than admitting how deeply I needed help.

Then came a single sentence that I ended up reading three times in a row: “Love is never proven by how much of your own soul you can surrender while forcing a smile.”