“Is Grandma really gone?” he asked softly, the bravado from that morning gone.

“Yes,” Lisa replied, her voice breaking. “She’s gone.”

In the days that followed, the absence left by my departure gave them much to ponder. Lisa had to reassess her priorities and begin the hard work of rebuilding her life, and her relationship with her son, on new foundations. Meanwhile, Travis began to learn the value of things not bought by money: accountability, growth, and the enduring love of family.

For me, I found peace and a renewed sense of self in a small cottage I rented near the coast, a place where I could sip my coffee in tranquility and reflect on the life still ahead of me. It wasn’t the end but a new beginning, a chance to live life on my terms and open the door to the possibility of healing and mending broken bridges, when and if they were ready.