Some dark days, it is necessary to be a conjurer of beauty. We must compose our transformational tune – creating a melody that begins with sorrow and pain and which then transmutes it into gritty, defiant joy. That sort of joy is the stuff of sages, mystics, and even children. These wise ones know that with a shout, a skip, and a burst of undaunted love, a nightmare may give rise to a heroic and colorful journey.

– Karen Gatlin, December 2015

Illustration: Kay Nielsen, East of the Sun, West of the Moon