Dedication

To the people of Mexico who live between fear and necessity.

To the families who work the fields, staff the shops, drive the roads, and raise children in regions where the state is absent and the cartels are present.

So many of you do not “choose” this world; you inherit it. Work, loyalty, and survival are the currencies left when opportunity has been stripped away by corruption, impunity, and broken promises.

My heart is with those caught inside the broken cycle that pushes some toward the cartel life, and with the ordinary men, women, and children who carry loving-kindness in their daily lives despite the pressure to participate in systems they did not design and cannot easily escape.

As a guest in your country, I want to say thank you. Your culture is extraordinary.

Your love of God, your devotion to family, your work ethic, your music, your dance, your celebration of children, your belief that one parent should be present in the home—these values reflect a depth of community that Canada and the United States often forget.

You remind the world that life is not about material things; it is about love, belonging, country, faith, and the bonds that hold people together when everything else falls away.

You are an amazing people. You have it right.

This book is for you—with admiration, grief, and respect.