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Rick,

I saw you entered this story for the Rising Star contest and was curious what it might be about and I must say that this was honestly one of the most moving reads I have come across on this site.

You caught the feelings of the prot so well, his observations on love and life and those which made his wife, him come alive before my inner eye. Yes, love is a medal with a bright and a dark side. We all want the bright side, are chasing after it like those dying of thirst are searching for water. Too many peoples' thirst is never stilled, but for those happy ones for which it is... the worst thing would be to discover that the water is poisoned and you slowly die from it in the try to still your thirst. So it must be to lose the One, the Great Love and stay behind, only a stony token left that confirms she ever existed.

But as much as the prot goes through the excruciating emotional pain after losing Suzy - torn between vivid memory and bitter reality - as much shows also one thing: People die, but love does not.

Yes, the wound is still fresh after only a few months, but it is the memory of them meeting, of their life and dreams together, of visiting their favorite places or just plain dumb daily life, that keeps him sane, that despite all pain helps him to slowly deal. It is in the ritual he performs each day just as he every day has renewed his love to his wife in life, the care, the worry to find only the best flower for her, his need to know her happy and wanting to make her happy, in which his love for her shows.

I swear, not even half way through the story - and it was short - you had moved me in such a way that I was bawling my eyes out (still am ) and although I read here moves me in any way, I barely cry. I truly thanked God that I a) live alone and b) am a silent cryer. I hope this story is only true in the sense that it depicts the deep love you feel for your own wife... and not horrible loss.

Although the price one must pay for the One Great Love someday will be too high, most of us - including me - nevertheless want to risk it because finding this one individual who knows everything about us and still loves us for who and what we are, who shares our hopes, dreams, wishes and joins them with their own, will complete us in a way we've maybe never known it before and will probably only give all of our previous struggles and strain and achievements (or not) sense and so ourselves.

Okay, enough babble. Thank you for sharing this...

This review has been submitted for consideration in "Good Deeds Go Noticed" .