I have spent much of my life moving through water - sometimes with strength, sometimes with struggle, but always with purpose. As a swimmer, an instructor, and a competitor, the water became my sanctuary, a place where I could both lose and find myself. It taught me resilience, patience, and the power of surrender. But the journey that shaped me most deeply was the one beyond the pool - the unpredictable currents of life itself. Born with a restless spirit and a deep yearning for connection, I navigated a life marked by hardship, heartbreak, and transformation. Along the way, I faced family loss, emotional battles, and the daunting task of rebuilding myself time and time again. Yet, like swimming against a relentless tide, each challenge strengthened the muscles of my soul. Through it all, I sought grace - not the absence of struggle, but the quiet, enduring strength to rise above it. Today, I am a competent and endurance swimmer, a swimming and school teacher, a mother, a seeker - and above all, a survivor. "Swimming Grace" is not just the story of my life; it is the story of learning how to move through suffering with dignity, to heal through perseverance, and to find beauty even in the depths of adversity. This memoir is a tribute to the lessons the water has taught me - and the grace that, somehow, has always been there, waiting to be found.
