“I’m scared, momma.” The little girl clutched her mother, big eyes locked onto the dark sky above her.

“Why, little dove?” The mother whispered.

“The sky’s yelling at me.” As if on cue, lighting and thunder struck again, making the girl jump. The mother giggled. “It’s not screaming at you, love. It’s mourning with you. It’s trying to show you that it can cry too, so you’re not alone anymore.”

The girl looked at the photo in her lap. “But I’m not alone, momma. You’re right in my lap, see?”

The mother’s face didn't smile, but the child heard it in the whispers inside her ear. “And always will be, little dove.”