Every prom dress shop in our town told my 17-year-old daughter she was \u201ctoo big\u201d for their gowns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One saleswoman actually laughed when Hazel asked to try on the dress in the window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hazel came home that afternoon, locked her bedroom door, and told me through it, \u201cMom, I\u2019m not going to prom. Please just stop trying.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I sat outside that door and cried.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Continue reading on next page\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Because the salespeople didn\u2019t know what Hazel had been through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They didn\u2019t know that her older brother, Mason, had died in a car accident the previous spring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mason had been the person who could make Hazel laugh when she was anxious. He called her \u201cHazelnut,\u201d stole food from her plate, and once promised her he\u2019d be her prom date if nobody else stepped up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After he died, Hazel changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She stopped going outside. She stopped eating normally. Some days she barely ate anything. Other days she ate because it was one of the only things that could distract her from the silence in the house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Grief had settled into every part of her life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I didn’t know how to bring my daughter back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then, the next morning, someone knocked on our front door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was Eli, the quiet boy from two houses down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He had been Hazel\u2019s best friend since sixth grade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMrs. Carter,\u201d he said, \u201cI need Hazel\u2019s measurements.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cProm.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I almost laughed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEli, she\u2019s not going.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThen why do you need her measurements?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He looked toward Hazel\u2019s bedroom window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBecause prom is in eleven days. I can fix this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou can fix what?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe dress situation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I stared at the seventeen-year-old boy standing on my porch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEli, have you ever made a dress?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDo you even know how to sew?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNot really.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That made me laugh despite myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But he didn’t laugh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Instead, he said, \u201cI need you to trust me. And I need you not to tell Hazel anything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Something in his expression made me stop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So I agreed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For the next eleven nights, Eli worked in his bedroom until three or four in the morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His mother told me his fingers were sore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He watched tutorials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He sketched designs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He bought fabric.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He ripped pieces apart and started over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He missed two tests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And when I asked him why he was doing all this, he simply said, \u201cBecause Mason asked me to.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That sentence stayed with me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because Mason had been gone for almost a year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I didn’t ask any more questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then prom night arrived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At exactly six thirty, someone knocked on the door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hazel came downstairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I nearly forgot how to breathe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She was wearing an ivory gown with enormous fabric roses flowing across the skirt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The dress was structured at the waist and soft below it, with layers that moved when she walked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It looked like something from a magazine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the most beautiful thing wasn’t the dress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was Hazel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She stood in front of the mirror and stared at herself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then she smiled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not the little forced smile she’d been giving me for months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A real smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMom,\u201d she whispered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYeah?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI look pretty.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I had to turn away for a second because my eyes filled with tears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou look beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She touched one of the roses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEli really made this?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cApparently.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She laughed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe’s insane.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then Eli arrived in a thrifted suit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He looked nervous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hazel looked at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cReady?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYeah.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the school, everything seemed normal at first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Students taking photographs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Parents trying not to cry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Teachers pretending they weren’t watching everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hazel walked into the gym with Eli beside her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And people turned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not because of her size.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not because of what the dress shop employees had said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They turned because she looked incredible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hazel smiled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She danced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She laughed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She even let Eli spin her around the floor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For a few minutes, I forgot about grief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then Eli walked toward the DJ booth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He took the microphone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCan I have everyone’s attention for a second?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hazel looked confused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEli, what are you doing?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He smiled nervously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI have to confess something.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The room quieted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hazel laughed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat’s never a good sentence.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eli looked at her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHazel, look under the biggest rose.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her smile disappeared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe biggest rose.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hazel looked down at her dress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She carefully lifted the enormous fabric flower.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her fingers touched something underneath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She froze.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat is this?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eli didn’t answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hazel pulled out a small blue envelope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She stared at it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then she saw the handwriting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her face changed instantly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I knew that handwriting too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hazel looked at me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMom?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I couldn’t answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She turned the envelope over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There were seven words written on the front.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hazelnut. Open this on your prom night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hazel’s hands began shaking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhere did you get this?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eli looked down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOpen it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hazel carefully unfolded the paper inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There was a letter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eli stepped closer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDo you want me to read it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hazel couldn’t speak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eli unfolded the letter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDear Hazelnut,\u201d he began.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hazel immediately covered her mouth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eli continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf you’re reading this, you’re probably wearing the most ridiculous dress I’ve ever seen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A few people laughed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hazel laughed through her tears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eli smiled and continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cActually, knowing you, Mom probably picked it because she said it was elegant, which is adult language for expensive and uncomfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I laughed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hazel laughed harder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then Eli read the next part.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI don’t know what you’re going to look like tonight. I don’t know who you’re going with. I don’t even know if you’ll still be obsessed with those terrible strawberry smoothies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hazel shook her head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cStill am,\u201d she whispered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eli continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut I know something.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His voice became softer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou’re going to think about me tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hazel’s eyes filled with tears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd I need you to understand something before you start doing that thing you do where you blame yourself for everything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hazel stopped breathing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNone of what happened was your fault.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The gym fell silent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNot the accident. Not the days you cried. Not the days you didn’t want to talk. Not the days you couldn’t get out of bed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eli’s voice cracked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGrief is not something you fail at.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hazel was crying now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So was I.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eli looked at the letter again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then he smiled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd if you’re crying right now, stop. You’re ruining your mascara.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hazel laughed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was the kind of laugh I hadn’t heard in almost a year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eli continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd if you’re smiling, don’t stop.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hazel pressed the letter against her chest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI always liked your smile. Even when you tried to hide it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eli paused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then he read the next sentence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI promised I’d be your prom date if nobody else stepped up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hazel closed her eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cUnfortunately, I’m going to have to break that promise.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She started crying again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut I found someone who can keep it for me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Everyone looked at Eli.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eli’s face turned bright red.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hazel stared at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eli shrugged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cKeep listening.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The letter continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEli has always been there. He’s annoying, quiet, terrible at pretending he doesn’t care, and he once stole the last piece of pizza from me. I haven’t forgiven him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The room erupted in laughter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eli shook his head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hazel smiled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut he’s good people, Hazelnut.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eli’s voice became quieter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf I’m not there, let him make you laugh.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hazel wiped her cheeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLet him annoy you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eli looked at Hazel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLet him take you dancing even if you think you look stupid.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hazel laughed again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then Eli read the next words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd most importantly…\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He paused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPlease don’t spend the rest of your life waiting for me to come back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hazel’s face crumpled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I started walking toward her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But she held up her hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She wanted to hear the rest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eli continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou have a whole life waiting for you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGo live it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGo to college. Travel somewhere Mom can’t afford. Eat too much cake. Fall in love. Get your heart broken. Get it put back together. Laugh so loudly people turn around.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eli took a shaky breath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd if you ever feel guilty because you’re happy without me, remember this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The entire room seemed to hold its breath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI didn’t spend my whole life trying to make you sad.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI spent it trying to make you laugh.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hazel broke down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eli lowered the letter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But there was one final sentence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLove you, Hazelnut.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Underneath it was Mason’s signature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hazel stood completely still.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then she turned toward Eli.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhere did you get this?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eli took a breath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYour brother gave it to me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBefore the accident?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe knew I was helping him with something at school. One afternoon he pulled me aside.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eli looked at Hazel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe told me that if something happened to him, I had to do something for you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eli pointed toward the dress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMake sure you went to prom.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hazel stared at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut I didn’t want to go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThen why did you spend eleven nights making this?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBecause Mason asked me to.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hazel looked down at the gown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then she noticed something else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWait.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She touched the biggest rose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou designed this?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eli nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhy this?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He looked embarrassed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBecause Mason told me you always wanted a dress that looked like it belonged in a fairy tale.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hazel stared at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou remembered that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI pay attention.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Those three words seemed to hit her harder than anything else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hazel stepped forward and hugged him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eli froze.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then he hugged her back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The entire gym erupted in applause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For the first time in almost a year, Hazel wasn’t trying to hide her tears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She wasn’t hiding her body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She wasn’t hiding her grief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She wasn’t trying to become the person she’d been before Mason died.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She was simply Hazel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And she was there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Later that night, I found her standing in front of her bedroom mirror.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She was still wearing the dress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For months, she’d avoided mirrors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She’d glance at herself and immediately look away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But tonight she stood there for several minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then she touched the rose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMom?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYeah?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDo you think Mason knew I’d change?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I walked closer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBefore he died. Do you think he knew I’d become this person?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I took her hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI think Mason knew you would become whoever you were meant to become.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hazel looked at herself again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI miss him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI’ll always miss him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She looked down at the letter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut I think I’m ready to stop being afraid of being happy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I pulled her into my arms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She hugged me tightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then she whispered something I had been waiting nearly a year to hear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMom, I want to go outside tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I started crying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hazel pulled away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhy are you crying?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBecause you’re going outside.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She laughed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat’s a weird thing to cry about.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She smiled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cActually, I want to go somewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She held Mason’s letter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHis favorite place.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The next morning, we drove to the overlook where Mason used to take her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It wasn’t anything spectacular.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Just a hill overlooking the town.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But Mason loved it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hazel sat on the hood of the car and watched the sunrise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For a long time, she said nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then she whispered:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHey, Mason.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The wind moved through her hair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI’m going to be okay.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She looked at me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNot today, maybe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut eventually.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She folded his letter carefully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then she tucked it into the pocket of her prom dress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I thought that was the end of the story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It wasn’t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That afternoon, Eli showed up at our house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He was holding a small piece of ivory fabric.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat’s that?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSomething left over from the dress.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He handed it to me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I unfolded it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There was another tiny message sewn into the fabric.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I recognized the handwriting immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My heart stopped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Four words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Keep taking care of her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I looked at Eli.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He shook his head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI didn’t write it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I looked toward Hazel’s bedroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She was sitting by the window, reading Mason’s letter again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And suddenly I understood what Eli had really given my daughter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It wasn’t just a dress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It wasn’t just a prom night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It wasn’t even just a letter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He had taken one of the most painful memories of Hazel’s life and helped her create a new one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The dress wasn’t designed to hide her body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It wasn’t meant to make her smaller.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It wasn’t meant to prove anything to the shops that had rejected her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It reminded her that she deserved to be seen exactly as she was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That she deserved to take up space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That she could miss Mason and still dance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She could grieve and still laugh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She could remember him without spending the rest of her life trapped in the moment she lost him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And maybe that was what Mason had wanted all along.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not for Hazel to forget him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not for her to stop missing him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Just for her to keep living.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because beneath the biggest rose wasn’t simply a letter from her brother.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was a reminder that grief could be carried without becoming a prison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And that sometimes, the people who love us most leave us one final gift.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not a goodbye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A reason to keep going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Every prom dress shop in our town told my 17-year-old daughter she was \u201ctoo big\u201d for their gowns. One saleswoman…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":8671,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8672","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/benetv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8672","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/benetv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/benetv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/benetv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/benetv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8672"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/benetv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8672\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8673,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/benetv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8672\/revisions\/8673"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/benetv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8671"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/benetv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8672"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/benetv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8672"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/benetv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8672"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}