Dear friends, readers , and colleagues,

Two years ago I found myself neck deep in grief a grief so complicated that I found it suffocating. A grief mixed with trauma, loss and new life. Unconsciously to deal with the pain I let my soul, spirit and whole being wander across the globe meeting writers, artists, poets and philosophers.

What I would find is grief again in other people. Through communication and connection with people that walked the earth I experienced sorrow and grief with and for those that I would never meet.

This grief was tangible and something I could make sense of and it stirred up what needed to surface, an understanding that I needed to deal with what was in the attic before cleaning the basement.

We all need this and art serves as a common denominator for all people, it is the medium that shows us and helps us with pain, suffering, grief and loss.

The photography of Deepak Kohli helped me with grief. During this time I was writing and exploring photography myself. I had returned to this passion after the sudden death of my father. Photography helped me ground on days when the pandemic made me lose contact with reality and time. It brought me back to the here and now and each day as I walked I documented time through photography as did Kohli. Each day unfolded and flooded with life which became photographs.

When Kohli connected reaching out from across the world sharing his views of the world from his lens I lost my breath momentarily. Photography that is art is timeless. poignant and brilliantly captures humanity. Photography that moves people is universal for it captures the core of who we are as people and this transcends race, religion, creed and political ideologies. Photography that is art takes our breathe away. It is the milk and honey to our tea and the expression of everything that words fail to convey

The pandemic has brought loss and it has brought gifts. It has been a joy to connect with creatives over the world who have risen to the occasion of creating for the world during a time of great pain and suffering. It is through connection and collaboration that we grow. This collaboration is based on respect in sharing and reciprocity. The creative gifts that artists share is a bond and a miracle.