Is it just me, or was January a bit of a doozy for many of us this year? I have to be honest and say even though I think I'm one of the most positive people most of the time, January was hard. A good thing was that I started working with photographs, art and writing more, in part as a response to what I needed to process the sudden passing of my sister-in-law, Tesha, on January 3, and then the passing of my maternal grandmother, Madeline, who adopted me as a baby and raised me as her own and who I called mom, on January 10. The above image of a lioness and her cubs was something I made as a result of a detailed and strange dream I had the morning that my grandmother left this plane. I know now that she was coming to visit, one last time.

What do you do to deal and heal when you're processing grief? I learned this month to trust reaching out to good friends in moments of anguish, and I also realized that making art and writing helped me to work out what was rattling around in my brain too. Helping a stranger who needed an ear one day lessened the loads of my own personal burdens because I focused on them instead, and, I taught a private yoga class to a small group of women that was so special that I forgot all about my troubles and instead lived in a beautiful teaching moment in a rugged and breathtaking region to facilitate a safe space for them. It was a safe space for me too, but in a different way, and I'm honored that I was asked to be their guide for a few hours.

My grandmother, Madeline, about two years younger than I am now, shortly after she brought me back to Canada to raise as her own, when her daughter, my mother, Maria, died. Despite the circumstances, there is a lot of joy in this photo, I think.

Thrilled to be featured in the popular local Sacramento Well BEing Resource Guide. This was one of the first publications I picked up in my hands after moving to Sacramento nearly 10 years ago - so I'm truly delighted to be featured this year. Please check it out, along with all the other listings, and share it far and wide. So many helpful services and people. Print version coming out later in the spring!

This photo was taken early on the night that severe winds and rain eventually knocked out power and prompted flooding in many parts of the Sacramento region for several days. Before it all went down, I had been fortunate to gather with some dear friends for an early new year dinner party of gumbo, catching-up, and more laughs than we thought possible. Recent research reveals that one of the greatest impacts on our quality and length of individual life depends in large part on the depth of our relationships. So let's heed those pleasant findings and gather whenever and however we can, because it may just allow us to live a little happier, and a little longer.