I Returned to the Same Diner Every Birthday

find you today, at noon, in our booth.

This ring is your birthday gift, my love.

Marge, I hope you’ve lived a full life. I hope you’ve loved again, even a little. I hope you’ve laughed loudly and danced when no one watched. Above all, I hope you know I never stopped loving you.

If grief is love with nowhere to go, maybe this letter gives it a place to continue reading …