“Just as I allowed them to live in my mind, I allowed them to die.”

“You love them, even though they're gone. In order to love you need to live, if you give up on life you can no longer love. You'd no longer have the capability to love them.”

“I knew it was a terrible idea. We were supposed to be leaving our past behind us, not fully embracing it. But she was a part of my past that I wanted to hold onto. She was my only reminder of Tommy, my only remaining connection. I couldn’t let that die, not yet.”

“My past is trying to catch up to me and I must continue run from it. It's the only way I can live.”

“No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t let them go. He wanted to start fresh, but there is no denying the heart what it longs for – especially when it longs for home.”

“I walked slowly, my eyes focused on the gravel beneath me. I didn’t know where I was going, not that I cared. I just needed to get away. Soon enough, I’d find my way home. I had to believe that. There was a loud crackling noise in the sky as the thunder rolled through the clouds. I threw my head back, admiring the storm above. The sky was dark with flashes of white sparking throughout with each bolt of lightening following behind the thunder. It was beautiful. “After the storm, you will find peace.” I smiled as the sound boomed through the quiet neighborhood. And in that moment I felt at one with the storm as the pain inside of me slowly began to seep out.”

“He looked up at me without saying a word. I tried to hold it together but I could feel myself breaking as I fell to the floor, my face in my hands – tears flowing down my cheeks. For the first time in a while I felt like I was truly losing a hold of myself.”