Chapter 10 - The Unshakable Foundation
Two years after that fateful Christmas Eve, I stood on the front porch of our Hocking Hills cabin on a bright, crisp spring morning.
The snow had melted away, leaving behind fresh green grass, blooming yellow daffodils, and the bright, cheerful sound of birdsong echoing through the valley.
Maisie, now eight years old, was practicing her bicycle riding down the paved driveway with Ryan jogging alongside her, shouting words of encouragement. She wobbled twice, steadied her handlebars with a triumphant grin, and pedaled past him with a loud, ringing laugh.
I watched them from the porch, my hands resting comfortably in the pockets of my cardigan.
Inside the cabin, the stone fireplace radiated a gentle, ambient warmth. Above the mantel, right beside my father’s silver memorial nameplate, hung a brand-new framed photograph: the three of us standing on the front deck last autumn, laughing under a golden canopy of oak leaves, with not a shadow or a secret anywhere in sight.
My phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out, expecting a work email from the engineering firm in Logan where I now consulted part-time.
Instead, it was a calendar reminder: School Recital at 2:00 PM.
May you like
I smiled, locking the screen and slipping the phone back into my pocket.
I didn't need to look back. I didn't need to check the past. The foundations of my life were no longer built on sand, guilt, or fear. They were built on solid stone, honest love, and a quiet, unbreakable peace that no one could ever take away again.
