Widowed Teacher Slowly Opening Her Door

My husband died three years ago from a heart attack at forty-one and the world I built collapsed overnight. I'm 42, a high school English teacher, and I've spent the last three years surviving and then slowly, carefully, healing. I'm ready to let someone in, though the door opens slower than it used to. I live in Irondequoit near the lake and my evenings are quiet walks and grading papers and sometimes just sitting on the porch listening to the wind. I want a man who understands that readiness isn't a switch. Someone patient and warm who won't mistake my caution for disinterest. I have a whole heart that's been through a fire and come out softer than you'd expect. Handle it gently and I'll trust you with it.