My mother always slept with the window open, even in the coldest winters. I used to joke that she must have been part polar bear. She would simply smile and say, \u201cFresh air keeps the soul alive.\u201d<\/p>\n
After she passed away, the house felt empty. While going through her belongings, I found her old journals and began reading them, hoping to feel close to her again.<\/p>\n
In one entry, she wrote about a time when she felt trapped and overwhelmed by life. Opening the window in the cold wasn\u2019t just a habit\u2014it was her way of reminding herself that life was still bigger than her pain, a small act of hope and resistance.<\/p>\n
Reading this, I finally understood her. That night, I opened my own window. The cold air filled the room, and for the first time since losing her, I felt not only grief\u2014but also her strength, and a quiet reminder that there is always air to breathe and hope to hold on to.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"