The Light We Left Behind

You ever come back to a place that feels like it's both yours and not? That's me, standing under the willow tree that's rooted in so many of my memories. Willow Creek is my hometown, a place I ran from as fast as I could, but now it's drawing me back-probably because I've got no choice. My mother's gone, and I'm left with the house, the garden, and a thousand memories tangled up in this small town. As I sift through the remnants of her life, I find more than old letters and dusty photo albums. I uncover secrets-about her, about myself-that I never expected. It turns out, the woman I thought I knew had a life before me, one filled with love, sacrifice, and choices I never imagined. And now? Now I have to decide what to do with all that I've found. Can I reshape my own life with the pieces she left behind? Or will they pull me under? Come on this journey with me-it's full of quiet revelations, laughter, heartache, and maybe, just maybe, a bit of hope.