Taking photos at a grave felt wrong, but she asked\u2014so their son would have something one day. She laid a blanket with their wedding photo. The baby had slept the whole trip, but the second his carrier touched the ground near his dad\u2019s grave, he burst out laughing. A deep, joyful laugh.<\/p>\n
Tears streamed down her face. \u201cHe\u2019s never laughed like that before,\u201d she whispered. I said maybe babies sense things we\u2019ve forgotten. She clung to him, telling the stone how she\u2019d talked to his dad every night, how the baby would always kick in reply.<\/p>\n
Strange things followed\u2014waking at the same time every night, reacting only to his dad\u2019s photo, their wedding song playing randomly. Even I couldn\u2019t explain what I saw. A chaplain said, \u201cLove lingers to help us heal.\u201d<\/p>\n
One night, the baby screamed at nothing. That same night, she dreamed her husband said,\u00a0\u201cYou\u2019re strong now.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0After that, it all stopped. Silence returned.<\/p>\n She slowly rebuilt her life. Months later, she found a hidden letter from her husband:\u00a0\u201cTell our baby hi.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0She framed it.<\/p>\n When their son was four, he asked, \u201cWhere\u2019s my daddy?\u201d She pointed to the grave and said, \u201cHe\u2019s always with you.\u201d Maybe grief opens a door. Maybe love never really leaves.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The boy smiled. \u201cI know. He talks to me sometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n