Goddamn, Sometimes It Hurt To Be Free.

Alice Started To Cry. It Came With No Sound, No Shuddering, No Childlike Hysterics, Just A Soul-deep Release That Turned Into Moisture And Dripped Down Her Puffy Pink Cheeks. She Touched Her Tears, Frowning. Then She Looked Up At Julia And Whimpered Two Words Before She Fell Asleep. ‘real Hurts.’

Real Friends. The Kind That Don't Purposely Hurt Your Feelings Or Stop Liking You For No Reason.

In The Sea Of Grief, There Were Islands Of Grace, Moments In Time When One Could Remember What Was Left Rather Than All That Had Been Lost.

You Will Always Miss Her. There Will Be Days - Even Years From Now - When The Missing Will Be So Sharp It Will Take Your Breath Away. But There Will Be Good Days, Too, Months And Years Of Them. In One Way Or Another You'll Be Searching For Her All Your Life.

Maybe Time Didn't Heal Wounds Exactly, But It Gave You A Kind Of Armor, Or A New Perspective. A Way To Remember With A Smile Instead Of A Sob.