Cherish

The magnitude of what had happened didn’t hit me until I was on my way home. The two-lane road was dark except for my headlights and an occasional streetlight. A song played on the radio but seemed to blend from one to the other. I had done this before on other occasions, but somehow this experience resonated much differently.

As I walked the halls of the hospital, the white cotton cord cutting into my hand from the weight of his belongings, I knew there was a difference.