My fingertips on the keys, I begin typing.

What comes out are memories.

Memories and stories my grandfather told me.

Vivid descriptions of ancestors I never met.

Places in Chile I may never see again.

In telling this story, giving it shape,

the people and places become real to me again.

There is still sorrow,

but there is life too.

Best-selling author Isabel Ayende has led an extraordinary, marked by moments of tremendous loss.

She rose to fame with her first novel, The House of the Spirits, which she wrote after fleeing

her home country of Chile following the 1974 coup. Now, at 80 years old, having confronted

exile and the death of loved ones, Isabel feels a likeness that

eluded her in youth. This week, Isabel shows us how the most unbearable loss can sometimes

offer the most profound gift. The freedom to live a joyful, fearless life.

In this series, we combine immersive first-person stories,

breathtaking music and mindfulness prompts

so that we may see our lives reflected back to us in other people's stories.

And that can lead to improvements in our own inner lives.

From Wait What, this is meditative story.

I'm Rohan, and I'll be your guide.

The body relaxed. The body breathing. Your senses open.

...