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I blinked and a tear slid silently down my face. It was a time that everyone knows must come, but everyone dreads all the same. Grief and sadness and horror all grasped my heart at once. But at the same time came a sort of peace, for now I no longer had to fear this moment. Yes, I was filled with all sorts of torturous emotions, but the dread was gone. The dread that had haunted my heart since the day we met. The dread that I might loose him.

I felt the tears sliding down my cheeks, but I didn’t make a sound. I cried silently for thirty minutes, listening to people give their speeches and say their goodbyes in the multi-colored light streaming in through the stained-glass windows. And then it was my turn. I took a deep quivering breath and stood up. I walked slowly toward the podium at the front of the church, resisting the urge to collapse in a fit of tears. My feet made no noise as they trod over the velvet carpet, but the sound of my heart echoed in my ears. When I reached the podium, I pulled a stack of folded papers from my pocket with shaking hands. I placed the papers on the podium in an effort to calm myself. I didn’t know how it was supposed to help, but at least it was something.

I had never been very good with crowds, and now, having to make a speech in front of a very large room full of people about the recent death of my beloved husband, I felt like I was going to throw up. I took another deep breath, and began.

“Brian was old, and he was happy, and it was his time to go. He died peacefully in his sleep, just as we all hope for our deaths to play out. He was the love of my life, and although all couples argue, he never raised his voice to me, not once.” Another tear slipped, but I kept my voice steady, hearing it grow stronger and more passionate as I continued.

“Not many people believe in destiny, but I do. I believe that it was destiny for us to meet, and to spend our lives together, and, finally, to watch each other die. If it weren’t for Brian I wouldn’t be here. True, I wouldn’t have had to suffer the loss of the person I loved most in this world, but I never would have known what true love was either. I would have met someone else, ‘fallen in love’, and lived out my life. But I never would have experienced the pure joy that comes from finding the one person that you truly belong with. And without that experience, I would not be a whole person. Yes, I believe in destiny. And that is why I am standing here today, mourning the loss of my husband, and remembering the life that we had together.

“I believe it was destiny that he leave this world at this time, in this way, and that I be here to see it happen. I am not happy with it, but I firmly believe that there was nothing that I could have done about it, and that makes all the difference. I try to remember all the good times we had together, instead of all the good times we could have had. They say that it is not good to dwell on past events, but sometimes it is easier than looking to the future.”

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I know it's kind of short, but I felt like if I tried to add to it just to make it longer, it would ruin it.

So, please read, review, and enjoy!