I told him gently, “Maybe peace isn’t something you find. Maybe you allow it.” He didn’t answer, but he listened.
Over the next few days, we fixed things around the cabin. He told old stories about Grandma. Then, hidden beneath a shelf, I found a letter—from her. Written long ago, it was full of love, strength, and a message that he was never alone.
As I read it aloud, Grandpa closed his eyes. He held the letter to his chest and finally whispered, “Maybe I can let go now.”
He stayed at the cabin a little longer, and when he returned, something had shifted. He wasn’t healed—but he was lighter. He had learned peace wasn’t a place. It was learning to sit with grief and let it soften.
Loss doesn’t go away. But if we stop running and listen, it teaches us. Peace comes not from escaping pain—but from accepting it.