A return to the Sea of Cortez brings humor, memory, and an unexpected sense of peace, as grief softens into something gentler and more enduring. Alongside reflections on love, loss, and intention, there is book news to celebrate—With the Enduring Tides on the horizon and a glimpse ahead to Beyond the Breaking Waves. It’s a reminder to notice what arrives unannounced: beauty, connection, and the quiet ways light still finds us.

This reflection weaves poetry, memory, and gratitude as Jane navigates early grief after Jerry’s death—holding sorrow and hope together. Through small kindnesses, shared stories, writing, faith, and community, she honors love that endures, learns to live beyond “hanging in there,” and carries forward a life shaped by devotion, creativity, and the quiet power of tending oneself while remembering deeply.

A teenage promise made on a hot summer day at the county fair ended in a hospital room and a doctor’s hard-earned wisdom. Keeping one’s word shapes character, but life eventually teaches that honoring our limits and tending ourselves is not breaking a promise—it’s keeping one that truly matters.