A Reader for Navigating the Depths of Our Lives The Universe holds us and tosses us about, only to hold us again. With Things That Join the Sea and the Sky, Mark Nepo brings us a compelling treasury of short prose reflections to turn to when struggling to keep our heads above water, and to breathe into all of our sorrows and joys. Inspired by his own journal writing across 15 years, this book shares with us some of Mark's most personal work. Many passages arise from accounts of his own life events-moments of "sinking and being lifted"-and the insights they yielded. Through these passages, we're encouraged to navigate our own currents of sea and sky, and to discover something fundamental yet elusive: How, simply, to be here. To be enjoyed in many ways-individually, by topic, or as an unfolding sequence-Things That Join the Sea and the Sky presents 145 contemplations gathered into 17 themes, each intended to illuminate specific situations. The themes include: Stopping the Noise, Unraveling Our Fear, Beyond What Goes Wrong, The Gift of Deepening, The Practice of Relationship, What Holds Us Up, Navigating Trouble, Right-Sizing Our Pain, Shedding Our Masks, The Reach of Kindness, the Radiance in All Things, Burning Off What's Unnecessary, Finding the Extraordinary in the Ordinary, Building and Mending, the Strength of Our Attention, Letting Everything in and Though, and How We Make Our Way. For those interested in either beginning or expanding their own journaling explorations, this reader also provides a guide to the practice of daily writing, with 100 compelling questions to get us started. "Joy is the sea that holds all," writes Mark, "the Unity of Being where feelings don't separate, but surface like waves to remind us we are alive." Here, he helps us swim in those waters until we are held in the mystery of their buoyancy.