There are people whose love shapes our path long before we realize we’re walking it. For me, that person was Josie — a mentor, friend, and companion in the food justice and climate work we both love. She passed recently. Sitting with that loss reminded me that grief isn’t separate from the work we do, it’s woven into it. We carry it with us, alongside the love that brought us here in the first place.

Anyone in climate and water knows this well. We feel it in the communities we fight for, in the ecosystems we work to restore, in the weight of knowing what is at stake. But we keep pouring ourselves into this work — not out of fear, but out of love. For the people who came before us. For the future we still believe is possible. For each other.

Last week, I moderated a panel on narrative change at the One Water Summit. It was a continuation of the love and vision that brought me here. In a room of storytellers and strategists, I felt Josie with me. For a moment, it felt like I was back on her porch, held in a conversation where no topic was too big or small to hold with care.

None of us show up to this work alone. We bring our people, our memories, and our love with us. And in returning to the work, we find healing and become part of the story they helped begin.