I took a deep breath and marched toward the open door. Entering my Mother’s small study filled with books and memories… The air felt heavy and still as I slowly turned to see what had once been the door to my closet as a child standing slightly open, revealing only darkness.
 
Reaching for the door knob, it seemed as though everything was moving in slow motion. The door eased opened and my heart began beating faster as light from the room flooded the tiny space. With the darkness swept aside, I could see my Father’s folded, military flag leaning against the wall on the floor in the corner. But more amazing yet, was the sight of several loose sheets of paper curling up from behind the flag which seemed to be standing vigilant over the illusive documents.
 
I stood there for a moment, seemingly frozen in time, considering what all of this meant. If those were the papers I had been looking for, and if I had been led to them by my Mother who had passed three days earlier – then everything from that moment forward was different, everything from that second on was changed.