Hank Yates reached out to me in early 2020 after navigating the loss of his daughter, Ida, whose stillbirth occurred only ten months after his mother Kathy's passing. To focus his grief, he wrote each a requiem -- dual tributes which span the extreme edges of loss. 'Life of a Leaf' for Kathy memorializes a life well-lived, while 'The Mockingbird' for Ida mourns unrealized potential of a life not given its full chance. What strikes me most about Hank is that he found not only reason but strength to create in the wake of such personal tragedy. These albums demonstrate a spiritual resilience that I admire *so much*. A big part of the support network for Hank and Ali, his wife, is Saul's Light -- a non-profit which provides community and resources to families with babies in the neonatal intensive care unit. Shining a light on this organization was a big motivator for Hank to share Ida's story with us, so if you're able please consider supporting them: https://www.saulslight.org Thank you to Matt Lowery for his remarkable and empathetic edit of this episode. And thank you to Hank, for his generosity and perseverance. Life of a Leaf: https://mousymagazine.bandcamp.com/album/life-of-a-leaf The Mockingbird: https://mousymagazine.bandcamp.com/album/the-mockingbird