06/09/2026
Tonight’s walk felt different.
We live close to this beautiful cemetery, and since moving to Bismarck I’m sure we’ve walked these paths a combined one thousand times. Over the years I’ve read the names, wondered about the stories, and felt that familiar heaviness when I see dates that don’t have many years between the beginning and the end.
This evening, on a calm summer night, Tootsie and I passed a woman sitting quietly in front of a headstone. She was grieving in that way you can feel even without words. It made me think about the days and weeks after a funeral when life around you goes back to normal, but your own heart hasn’t caught up. People return to work, to errands, to routines, while someone else is still trying to steady their breathing and make it through the day without breaking.
So tonight I’m simply thinking about and praying for friends who who are missing someone. Anyone who still feels that lump in their throat. Anyone who’s carrying a quiet ache that doesn’t show on the outside. I hope you feel a little comfort in the moments you need it most.