I was crushed. It never occurred to me that there would be a world without David. Let alone a world in which three of my closest friends would be widowed tragically in their forties.
I didn’t know what this book was about when I started it. Even when I was halfway through it, I still wasn’t sure. But now that I’ve finished it, I finally get it. This book is about the bravery it takes for us to love someone when we all know how every love story ends. It’s about choosing love over fear again and again. It’s about showing up and being brave even when we know it’s going to hurt like hell.
Knox’s fear of losing someone he loved and falling apart was so real for me. I ended up working through a lot of my own grief and fear while I wrote this story. At times I couldn’t get past the loss my friends were suffering. Other times I had the presence of mind to remember how lucky we all are to love someone so much their loss is devastating.
My wish for all of us is that we love whole-heartedly and are present enough in our relationships that when we part our only regret is quantity not quality. That we all understand that the pain of loss is what gives the rest of our life color and flavor and texture.
Thank you for reading and being brave, my friends.
Xoxo
Lucy