Chapter 28 - Healing in Small Steps
Healing didn’t happen all at once.
Some days were good. Grace laughed easily and ran around the apartment like any other seven-year-old. Other days, she was quiet and clung to me more than usual.
I learned to accept both.
We continued therapy. Grace started drawing pictures of her feelings instead of just keeping them inside. I started seeing a therapist too — something I should have done years ago.
One evening, Grace asked me a question while we were brushing our teeth.
“Mom, do you miss Grandma and Grandpa?”
I rinsed my mouth and thought carefully.
“Sometimes,” I admitted. “But I don’t miss the way things were. I miss the idea of them. The people I wanted them to be.”
Grace nodded like she understood.
“I miss the idea of Aunt Lauren too,” she said. “But not the real one.”
I looked at her in the mirror.
“That’s very wise,” I said.
She grinned, toothpaste on her chin.
“I know.”
I laughed and wiped her face.
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We were both healing — slowly, unevenly, but surely.
And every small step forward felt like a victory.
