When you were young, the two of you would play underneath the
spreading branches of a large tree near your grandmother's house. You
would chase each other around the trunk in the warm summer wind.
Sometimes after berry picking for an afternoon, you would sit side by
side, your backs resting against the tree's strong trunk, eating the
berries, the warm sticky juice dripping down your chins.
Eleven years later, he leaned forward and kissed you for the first as
you stood underneath the same tree, the crisp autumn air blowing your
hair into a tangled mess, the fiery leaves slowly drifting to the
ground. Later, he would use his wand to carve TL+VW into the tree's
bark, surrounded by a heart.
Another six years would pass and again you would be standing by that
tree when he would get down on one knee amidst the snow drifts and ask
you to be his forever. As the snow swirled around you, you would help
him up and tell him you already were.
In two years, you would join him on a soft blanket spread under the
tree, cradling your baby boy in your arms as he added the initials CL
to the bark of the tree. The spring air was warm and sweet as he
glanced up at you and smiled. In the years to come, he would also add
the initials KL and ML to the bark as the two of you welcomed two baby
girls into the world.
Now you stand beneath the tree by yourself, gently touching the
headstone to his grave. Even though he is six feet under the ground,
you can almost feel his hand in yours, his lips softly kissing your
cheek, welcoming you home. You smile slowly, knowing that soon you
will join your beloved in eternity.