"Living each day with gratitude will brighten any path. Every day we have a choice, we can choose to look at the world with all its trials and heartache and only see black and white, or we can look at the world with all its color and with gratitude see joy. I choose joy!

At a time when life looked so bleak that I no longer wanted to live, I found refuge in nature and with my art. Rather than dwell on the past that engulfed me, I chose to embrace how strong I had become, resolved not to wither, but to shine. No unfamiliar path is easy, it's actually very scary. With a brave resolve to move forward I learned so much on this journey.

I learned that trees seem to whisper wisdom and peace to all who will come and bask in the serenity they offer. I learned that by shifting my glance, I saw beauty instead despair. I learned that God's love is in everything and offered everywhere you look, if you choose to look with gratitude.

Look closely and you will find a faint tule silhouette, the outline of a soul traveling a path through the forest and choosing to see color while embracing joy."