January 2021, ten months into the global pandemic, Sherry Sidoti's mother is diagnosed with terminal cancer--so Sherry prioritizes a trip to Manhattan over long-awaited empty-nesting and her "second chance" with fiancé Jevon. With new life blooming and loss looming, she is beckoned to answer the question that has haunted her since childhood: is freedom found in "letting go," as the spiritual teachers (and her mother) insist--or is it found by digging our heels deeper into the earth and holding on to our humanness?

A Smoke and a Song is Sherry's story of her quest to make meaning from the memories homed in her body. Told with tenacity, tenderness, and wry humor, Sherry stumbles towards self-actualization, spiritual awakening--and, despite it all, love. This is a story steeped in art and spirituality that explores the complexities of transgenerational maternal bonds, attachment, loss, and leaning in to our wounds to find the wisdom.

What is the true source of spiritual freedom? Faced with the impending loss of her mother just as her new start on life is beginning, Sherry Sidoti chooses to lean in to the memories homed in her body, turn to her yoga and mindfulness practice, and forge forward with self-awareness in an attempt to answer one of life's most elusive questions.