The Art of Letting Go: When to Release What We Can’t Control

Over the past seven years, I have written more than 1,200 pages of my Tracks of Our Tears trilogy. In that time, I have breathed life into a cast of unforgettable characters—each one born from imagination, nurtured into existence, and made real through story. They have become like my children. In some ways, I know them more intimately than many members of my own family.

They are always on my mind. Their journeys—though fictional—are filled with struggles I have never personally endured, yet I carry their burdens. I fall asleep thinking about them, worrying for their safety, praying for their well-being, even though we’ll never meet.
These are multi-generational sagas, stretching across 135 years of history. In telling their stories, I have lived and died with them. I have felt their joy and despair. I have heard their laughter—and their final breaths. Some must let go of loved ones, dreams, or even their sense of identity just to survive. And with each of them, a part of me is born, and a part of me fades. Like family, I am grateful to have known them, to have loved them, and to mourn their losses.

Life, like fiction, moves forward—relentlessly and without pause.

Through these private reflections, my characters have given me something profound: a deeper understanding of my own life. Their experiences illuminate my own joys and sorrows. The lens through which I see the world has been reshaped, offering richer insight into love, loss, and the strength it takes to let go.

I’ve been fortunate to love—and be loved by—a few truly remarkable women. Each stood by me with grace and loyalty. My wife, Regina, devoted her life to my happiness and to raising our three loving children. Her legacy lives on through them and their children.

Two of these women endured unthinkable losses, becoming widows far too soon. Each raised children while carrying the weight of unimaginable grief. All three are shining examples of strength and resolve—women who refused to bow to failure or defeat. Their courage and determination inspired the strong female characters in my novels—characters who now serve as role models for thousands of readers facing their own everyday challenges.
These women—and the characters they inspired—remind me that letting go is not a weakness. It is an act of courage. Whether we are releasing a person, a dream, or a version of ourselves, the art of letting go is what allows us to grow, to endure, and to continue writing the next chapter of our lives.

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