When the Waves Settle

by Sara Smet

Piper has already survived one battle with cancer, she never imagined she’d be asked to fight again. When her doctor quietly delivers the words no one is ever prepared to hear, Piper knows her time is slipping away. But instead of surrendering to fear, she spends her remaining days doing what she’s always done loving fiercely, giving selflessly, and leaving footprints her family can still follow when she is gone.

As she writes letters for the moments she knows she’ll miss graduations, milestones, ordinary mornings. Piper prepares Max and their young son Lucas for a world without her in it. But the closer she comes to the end, the harder it becomes to let them go. Max tries to stay strong, torn between hope and the quiet dread of losing the woman who is his anchor. Lucas clings to the mother he adores, not fully understanding why she’s slipping further from his arms.

Through tender moments, impossible conversations, and the quiet courage found in everyday love, When the Waves Settle is a heartbreaking yet hopeful story about family, grief, and the legacy we leave behind.

For anyone who has loved deeply, lost deeply, or stood in the in-between this story reminds us that even in the darkest tides, love doesn’t disappear. It shifts. It settles. And it stays.

176 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 26, 2025