I adopted a five-year-old girl I found wrapped in my late daughter’s jacket – years later, she handed me a note and said, “Your daughter asked me to give this to you today.”

When I said it was Lily’s jacket, you said, ‘I know.’”

His face went still.

“I meant I recognized it after you said it.”

“That isn’t what it sounded like.”

I wanted that to be enough.

He looked down into his mug.

“I was shaken too, Maureen.”

I wanted that to be enough.

So I let it be.

Then I said, “When I looked at that little girl, it felt like all this grief continue reading …