Author: FEEL EVERY STORY

As Christmas drew closer, I found myself paying more attention to the way Wendell spoke about the future. He didn't make grand promises. He didn't tell me that everything would …

PART 12 – The More I Thought About Wendell’s Careful Preparations, the More I Realized That Love Could Be Sincere and Still Need to Learn How to Tell the Truth Read More

I kept thinking about the yellow paper. Not every minute of every day, but often enough that I could no longer pretend it was just a piece of paper in …

PART 13 – I Had Spent So Much Time Wondering What Wendell Was Hiding That I Almost Forgot to Notice What He Was Trying to Tell Me Read More

As Christmas drew closer, I found myself thinking about the date written beneath the yellow paper. December 24. It was an ordinary date to anyone who didn't know the reason …

PART 14 – The More I Thought About Christmas Eve, the More I Realized That What I Wanted Was Not a Surprise but a Place Beside Him Read More

There was a time when I thought patience meant keeping my concerns to myself. I thought it meant understanding another person so completely that I never asked them to explain …

PART 15 – I Was Finally Learning That Giving Someone Time Did Not Mean I Had to Leave My Own Feelings Waiting Outside the Door Read More

The closer Christmas Eve came, the harder it became to think of the date as ordinary. I knew the day would arrive whether I understood Wendell's plans or not. The …

PART 16 – As December Twenty-Four Drew Near, I Tried to Leave Room for a Good Surprise Without Letting Hope Do All the Talking Read More

December 24 arrived quietly. There was no special announcement to tell me that the day I had been thinking about for weeks had finally come. The calendar had said it …

PART 17 – When Christmas Eve Finally Came, I Wanted to Believe the Yellow Paper Was an Invitation Instead of Another Question I Had to Carry Read More

As I thought about seeing Wendell, I reminded myself that I didn't need to begin the conversation with every question at once. I could start with the thing that had …

PART 18 – I Had Waited for Wendell to Explain the Photographs and the Yellow Paper, but I Finally Understood That Listening Would Matter More Than Guessing Read More

By the time I thought about the yellow paper again, I had begun to see how much meaning I had placed on it. For my Winnie. The words were still …

PART 19 – The Three Words on the Yellow Paper Had Made Me Hope for a Future, but I Needed to Know Whether Wendell Was Ready to Share It With Me Read More

I used to think the most important moments in a relationship were the ones that changed everything at once. A declaration. A promise. A day that could be remembered by …

PART 20 – I Had Come to Christmas Eve Hoping the Yellow Paper Would Finally Make Sense, but What Mattered Most Was Whether We Could Be Honest With Each Other Read More

By the time I admitted that Wendell's house bothered me, I had already found a dozen reasons not to mention it. I told myself he might be embarrassed. I told …

PART 2 – The Small Detail I Couldn’t Explain Began to Matter More Than All the Reassuring Things Wendell Had Ever Told Me Read More