Max wiped his hands on his pants as he approached the front door. He hadn’t been in this neighborhood in decades. Not since Mary’s parents moved to Florida shortly after he and Mary married. But now, the years fell away, and he was a 17-year-old boy coming to pick Mary up for a date. He was just as nervous as he had been then. But this time, he wasn’t worried about Mary’s parents’ approval. He was worried about Annabelle’s approval.

The past year had been wonderfully healing, and Annabelle’s letters had everything to do with that. Was coming here a mistake? What if meeting in person ruined their letter-writing friendship? He’d deliberated for weeks about suggesting this meeting. But Betty lived a mere 15 minutes away, and he couldn’t imagine being this close and not visiting Annabelle. He blew out a breath. What was done was done. There was no way to back out now.

The door was painted a different color now, and the trees were larger, but the front of the house hadn’t otherwise changed much. He pressed the doorbell. A moment later, the door opened, and an elegant white-haired woman stood before him. She was tall and slender, whereas Mary had been shorter and more solidly built. The two women bore little resemblance to one another. But they both touched his heart, although in different ways.

Annabelle’s lips curved upwards. “You came.” She stepped back from the door. “Please, come inside.”

“Of course I came. I’m a man of my word.” He stepped into the house, taking in the surroundings. Part of him expected to see Mary’s parent’s house, but that, of course, was foolishness.

“Come on in.” Annabelle led him into the living room and called into the kitchen. “Jayna, you can come on out. I know you’re dying to meet my friend before you leave.”

A young woman exited the kitchen and approached Max with a wide grin. Max shook her hand and she leaned forward to whisper in his ear. “Thank you for all you’ve done for my grandmother. We were so worried about her when Grandpa passed away, but you have helped her through her grief. I just wanted to let you know how much your letters mean to her.”

She straightened and released his hand. “I hope you two have a lovely time together.” She headed out the front door, calling back to Annabelle. “I’ll call you later, Grandma.”

 And then they were alone. At least, until a brown and white cat hopped onto the sofa. Max grinned. “Ahh, this must be Whiskers.”

“Yes, she’s my constant companion. Come and sit with me. I have a pitcher of iced tea here and some snacks, if you’d like.”

Max settled onto a chair opposite Annabelle. “Maybe just a little. I’m taking my sister out for dinner later. He lifted a tote bag. “I brought something to show you.”

 Annabelle’s eyes widened. “Oh, what is it?”

Max handed her the bag, and she pulled out a photo album. “It’s pictures of Mary and me when we were dating. I thought you’d like to see what your house looked like back then. I also thought you’d like to see what I looked like back then. Far better looking than I am now, I’m afraid.”

Annabelle paged through the pictures. “My goodness. Look at the front of the house. Everything looks so much newer and cleaner.” She peered closer. “And yes. You were quite the handsome devil, weren’t you? And Mary was a beauty.”

Max grinned. “She was. Right up until the day the Lord took her home.”

Annabelle finished the album and smiled at Max. “Thank you so much for sharing the pictures with me.” She pointed to a framed photo on the side table. “There I am with Ralph.”

“You look very happy.”

“Yes, we were.”

Max studied Annabelle. “No one could ever take Mary’s place. We shared our whole lives together.”

Annabelle nodded. “And no one could ever take Ralph’s place. I’ll love him until the day I die.”

Max nodded. “I’m glad we understand one another. I’ll always love and miss Mary. But I hope there might be room in your heart to continue our friendship. Maybe a little more than just writing letters. My sister needs more help as she’s getting older, and I was thinking of moving in with her. I’d only be 15 minutes away.”

Annabelle’s eyes sparkled. “I’d love to see you more often. But you know, there’s something else we haven’t talked about. A very big obstacle standing in our way.”

Max stilled. Whatever could she mean?

Annabelle smiled. “I’m a cat person and you’re a dog person.”

Max burst out laughing. “Well, if that’s all there is to it…” He rose from his chair and moved to the sofa, where Whiskers leaned her head on his leg. He rubbed her ears, which caused her to rumble with a purr. “It looks like Whiskers likes me. I guess it’s settled. Annabelle, you who will love Ralph until the day you die and will always be a cat person, would you consider going on a date with a dog person who is still now and will always be in love with Mary?”

Annabelle beamed. “Sounds perfect.”

Psalm 34:18

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

God, it is so hard when we lose those we love. The people who touch our hearts can never be replaced. As hard as it is to say goodbye, the grief is a reminder that we have loved well. Thank you for the promise of a reunion in heaven. And thank you for the ability to open our hearts to care about other people. Life is meant to be spent in relationship. Thank you for our families and our friends. Please help us love them well. In Jesus’ name, Amen.