A month later, Marissa returned with a healthy, smiling Mila in her arms. This time, she looked confident and peaceful. She thanked me for helping during a time when she felt completely alone and offered a gesture of gratitude I never expected. What mattered most, though, was seeing Mila safe and thriving. As Caleb toddled into the room and Mila blinked curiously at the world, I realized how profoundly that single moment in the woods had changed me. It reminded me that even in grief, there is room to show compassion—and that sometimes the smallest, most unexpected encounters can help heal parts of us we didn’t know were still hurting.
