in 2001, my mother relapsed with addiction after 24 years of being sober, nearly died by gun suicide, and died several years later after being diagnosed with lung cancer. In addition, during that time, all three of my aging dogs died, along with several people who were dear to me. I created a path to transforming the loss into meaning and beauty through mindfulness, creativity, and connection with nature. I work as a licensed clinical mental health counselor, mindfulness coach, writer, and photographer. I am an online mindfulness instructor at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill's Program in Integrative Medicine and a NC Regional Coordinator for the Climate Psychology Alliance of North America. I teach workshops that include: Writing as Refuge; The Mindful Way Through Grief; Writing as Meditation; and Writing with the Earth.