Rae Stone-von Hannover
I hold her hands in this impossible moment, a moment that I never thought I would see, and my heart is full.
Beyond Rae—my Rae, my wife—my sister Flicka is smiling at me. The child that I raised from kindergarten is a young woman and married. She doesn’t need me anymore, which means that I did well. I used to pray that I would live until she could take care of herself.
Now, Rae is giving me another chance to be a father. This time, I will watch the child grow from infancy. Every day that I see changes in Rae is a revelation. Every moment is a prayer.
I am vigilant, listening for the click of a hammer or the lens flare from a telescopic sight, but there is nothing, nothing but music and light glowing from the candles and tiny lights and her small hands in mine.
I had been a ghost, but now I am alive.
And, God help me, I feel like I might live.