As a young undertaker, I believed I had taken on nothing more than a job. But it wasn't long before I encountered unspeakable grief.

One of my most shattering assignments involved a 14-year-old boy, gone by his own hand. We found him at his foster home-but first, we came upon his sister. Her tears fell in silence, her small world shattered. I stood watching her, unable to offer more than quiet witness.

For decades, I have wondered about that girl. Did she find strength in the ruins? Did kindness eventually meet her along the road?

This book is born from those questions.

A story shaped by memory and compassion, it imagines a life beyond unimaginable loss. It is a prayer that somewhere, somehow, that young girl found her way-and that life, in the end, was gentle with her.