Ray should have died on three separate occasions when he was in the ICU. But sheer tenacity, an almost delusional belief that COVID would not kill him, and the prayers of family and friends kept Ray alive for five weeks throughout his near-fatal COVID ordeal. Ray emerged from the hospital suffused with a renewed joy for, and love of, life. He set out in his recovery to regain his former vigor and complete the memoir he had been writing for years. This memoir is more than about surviving COVID. It is the story of how one man came to realize how blessed he has been throughout his life. It is the story of an unshakeable faith in God despite the setbacks, dangers, and trauma that life brings. Far from the Cliff is one man's prayer of thanksgiving for the beauty, love, and happiness that can be ours, even as we face endless trials, an uncertain future, and our own looming mortality.