My neighbor insisted I remove my apple tree—then one morning, I woke up to my entire yard buried in apples.

his humour, and his belief that good things can keep growing after terrible loss.

But now it reminds me of something else as well.

When Ryan stripped the tree bare, I thought he had damaged one of my last remaining connections to my husband.

Instead, he forced me to defend it.

He showed me that staying composed did not mean allowing someone to walk over continue reading …