That summer, after I signed the papers and let Lorraine and Kevin take over the lake house, I decided to spend some time focusing on myself. It had been a long time since I did anything just for me. I packed a few things and took a trip down to Savannah, a city that Samuel and I had visited once, years ago, and loved for its quiet charm and the way the Spanish moss draped over the streets like nature’s lace.
I rented a small room in a bed and breakfast near Forsyth Park. Every morning, I would walk through the park, sipping on a cup of coffee, listening to the sound of children’s laughter and watching old couples walk hand in hand. It was peaceful. It reminded me of the kind of life I wanted to have for myself now, something Samuel would have wanted for me too.
One afternoon, while exploring a small bookstore tucked away in a corner of the city, I met a woman named Agnes. She was in her seventies, with bright eyes and a kind smile. We got to talking, and I learned that she had lost her husband a few years before. We shared stories about our lives, our losses, and the things that kept us going. We laughed about the silly things our husbands used to do and cried a little over the memories that were still too fresh. Agnes and I became fast friends, and she taught me something important: that it was okay to find joy after loss.
As the days passed, I felt the weight of Lorraine’s voicemail lift. I realized that life was too short to hold onto bitterness. I couldn’t change what had happened, but I could change how I reacted to it. I decided to reclaim my joy, to focus on the things that mattered, and to honor Samuel’s memory by living my life fully, with or without the lake house.
When I returned home, I began to write. I filled notebooks with stories of our life, recipes Samuel loved, and memories I never wanted to forget. It became a new kind of therapy for me, a way to hold onto Samuel while letting go of the pain. I also decided to visit the lake house later in the year, not to stay, but to find closure for myself and to take back my space, if only for a moment.
I knew that there was still more to come, that life had more chapters for me to write. And I had a feeling that my story with the lake house wasn’t quite over yet.
If you want to read more about what happens next, please leave a ‘YES’ comment below this Facebook post and give it a “Like.” Stay tuned for Part 3!