Now, turn this machine off, and finally get some sleep. Goodnight, my sweet husband.” The tape clicked loudly. Then, there was nothing but the quiet, static hiss of empty tape, spinning on and on in the dark.

I sat there on the edge of the bed for hours, holding the small plastic rectangle in my hands, crying until there was absolutely nothing left inside of me.

I had spent twenty-five years secretly documenting her love for our children, never realizing that the greatest act of love she ever performed was the silence she kept for me.