addendum: the phrase "crooked steps" is a favorite in cloak and dagger stories, so literally "right behind you" is not necessarily a supportive position.
so maybe you guys aren't so far off. the quote though is not about a lover, but about a beloved family member, a "Myra" who has just recently died (in the letter, written in 1862)
addendum: the phrase "crooked steps" is a favorite in cloak and dagger stories, so literally "right behind you" is not necessarily a supportive position.
there is, though this emily dickenson quote:
“I wish one could be sure the suffering had a loving side. The thought to look down some day, and see the crooked steps we came, from a safer place, must be a precious thing…” http://books.google.com/books?id=Vy7VIpug6Q8C&lpg=PA407&ots=Ifzi5eYSap&dq=I%20wish%20one%20could%20be%20sure%20the%20suffering%20had%20a%20loving%20side.%20The%20thought%20to%20look%20down%20some%20day%2C%20and%20see%20the%20crooked%20steps%20we%20came%2C%20from%20a%20safer%20place%2C%20must%20be%20a%20precious%20thing%E2%80%A6%E2%80%9D&pg=PA407#v=onepage&q=I%20wish%20one%20could%20be%20sure%20the%20suffering%20had%20a%20loving%20side.%20The%20thought%20to%20look%20down%20some%20day,%20and%20see%20the%20crooked%20steps%20we%20came,%20from%20a%20safer%20place,%20must%20be%20a%20precious%20thing%E2%80%A6%E2%80%9D&f=false
so maybe you guys aren't so far off. the quote though is not about a lover, but about a beloved family member, a "Myra" who has just recently died (in the letter, written in 1862)