A Year of Us

How Do you Hold a Family Together When the World is Falling Apart?When Esmeralda lost her husband to cancer just weeks before the world shut down in 2020, she found herself alone in Idaho with two young children, a broken heart, and a global pandemic knocking at the door. But grief didn't break her. Instead, it became the soil where something fierce and beautiful could still grow.In A Year of Us, Esmeralda shares her true story of navigating unimaginable loss while parenting through lockdown, fear, and isolation. With lyrical warmth and raw honesty, she captures the moments of chaos and quiet strength-fishing trips to honor a father's memory, makeshift birthday cakes in a grieving kitchen, and the simple joy of laughter when joy felt impossible.This is not a story of perfection. It's a story of persistence. Of showing up, even when your soul is cracked. Of building forts out of blankets and courage. Of a mother's promise to fight for light in the darkest year.Tender, poetic, and deeply human, A Year of Us is a love letter to resilience, a reminder that even in the rubble, families can rise.