She listened, but heard nothing. The whir of the fan and the tick of the clock were the only semblance of life. She kept expecting the door to open at any moment, voices and laughter filling the room, but … nothing. Only silence. Existence was excruciating for her. The vacancy that she was having trouble dealing with on the outside, reminded her of the solace she felt within. There was simply … nothing! Her family was gone. Her children had grown and moved away, and her beloved husband had passed on. She felt an unfamiliar feeling that she no longer thought she could bear, that being this thing called … alone! What was she to do? She had read her Bible through, the year her husband was so ill. She felt as if she existed on a cloud of pure love when he was so sick. Her family had surrounded her, her God was available every moment, friends called often, and the mailbox held cards from family and friends every day. Hospice nurses and social workers had been a very present help in time of need the last few months of her husband’s life. Her husband’s family had naturally been concerned, so had called daily. Then, after his death, everything changed. Within six months her two grown sons moved into their own places to go to seminary and to school. Her daughter remained for a while, but then she, too, had to move on for school. One child remained behind. She dare not hold him too tightly within her heart, for she realized that her remaining child would eventually leave, as well. Today, for today, couldn’t things be as they once were? She recalled a place in time, a place where nothing could move her spiritually or emotionally. A place where she felt ever so grounded, strong, sure, and even beautiful. Oh how it seemed as if that were just a moment in time, now. Looking back, it was only a moment. She sighed, breathing in deeply, and then startled at the reality of that deep sigh. Life would never, no never be the same again. There was a house on a hill Whose light shine brightly all around Those who saw the light were drawn For from it came a melodious sound The sound was life from within It was laughter and love sounding bright Love shined so brightly from within That the world was drawn to the light But now, there was no more light, for the light had been snuffed out. How could she come to find herself again? How could she be left alone? She knew much about life and had lived life full. But now, this thing called alone, seemed to threaten the very core of her being. One thing she never dreamed she would experience was being alone.