Comfort, compassion, being held, at ease . . . all beautiful states that conjure a sense of calm, connection, and integration. Often what leads us to those places is the opposite. A contrast of some sort that was uncomfortable, excessive, difficult, dis-ease. The way back to that comfort can be walked with others or alone. In this issue, we explore the beautifully complex theme of SOLACE. What it means to give, receive, and have it. What experiences evoke it, and how the

What makes a house a home? Through five homes, countless memories, difficult goodbyes, and one cherished purple hydrangea, Ann Wilkie Arens traces her family's journey through aging, caregiving, love, and loss. An intimate and profoundly moving reflection on the places we inhabit, the people who make them sacred, and the comforting realization that home is something we carry within us.

What if comfort begins not with fixing what hurts, but with allowing ourselves to feel it? In this poignant and exquisitely human reflection, Paige Nolan offers a compassionate invitation to acknowledge heartbreak, name our emotions, breathe through uncertainty, and become available to solace. A moving reminder that even when life breaks our hearts, gentleness can help us find our way through.

In a world that rarely slows down, comfort may be closer than we think. Through familiar evening rituals, nourishing meals, beautiful music, and moments of presence, Michael Scholtz reminds us that solace doesn't always arrive through grand gestures. More often, it lives in the small, intentional moments that make an ordinary day feel extraordinary.

What if the comfort we crave is already reaching toward us? Through the simplest of experiences—a gentle touch, grass beneath bare feet, an unexpected moment of shade—Shena Driscoll Salvato explores the beautiful, often overlooked art of receiving. A tender reminder that solace doesn't always require searching. Sometimes, it simply asks us to be open.

What happens when an earlier version of ourselves comes alive again? Twenty-five years after his university band drifted apart, Oscar Trelles returns to the rehearsal room and discovers that old friendships, familiar songs, and shared memories hold more than nostalgia. A thoughtful exploration of identity, belonging, and the unexpected solace of being with people who know us so well that little needs explaining.