Dear Edward,

I've gone back and forth the last few days trying to decide whether or not I should even write this. In the end, I realized I would regret it if I didn't. So here it goes.

I know the last time we saw each other we weren't exactly hitting the sweetest notes. Second it wasn't the way I want the trip to end. I suppose I'm responsible, and for that I'm sorry. But in all honesty, if I had the chance, I'd do it again.

Virginia said I left a stranger and came back a husband. I owe that to you. There is no way I can repay you for all you've done for me. So rather than try, I'm just gonna ask you to do something else for me---find the joy in your life.

You once said you are not everyone. Well, that's true. You're certainly not everyone. But, everyone is everyone. My pastor always says, “Our lives are streams, flowing into the same river towards whatever heaven lies in the mist beyond the falls.”

Find the joy in your life, Edward.

My dear friend, close your eyes, and let the waters take you.

Good afternoon, my name is Edward Cole. I don't know what most people say in these occasions because in all honesty, I...I've tried to avoid them.

Simplest thing is I loved him and I missed it. Carter and I saw the world together. It's just amazing when you think only three months ago, we were complete strangers. I hope it doesn't sound selfish of me, but the last months of his life were the best months of mine. He saved my life, and he knew it before I did. I'm deeply proud that this man found it worth his while to know me. In the end, I think it's safe to say that we brought some joy to one another's lives. So, one day when I go to some final resting place, if I happen to wake up next to a certain wall with a gate, I hope that Carter is there, divulge for me and show me the ropes on the other side.

Edward P* Cole died in May. It was a Sunday afternoon and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. He was 81 years old. Even now, I can't claim to understand the measure of life, but I can tell you this. I know that when he died, his eyes were closed and his heart was open. And I am pretty sure he was happy with this final resting place because he was buried on the mountain, and that was against the law.