'Family'...that's really it in a nutshell. This photograph is the last time we were all together. Two months later one of my children was gone...the sky had another star. However, life goes on and the holiday season is still a time for family and friends to come together and celebrate love and life.

Life is busy. There are jobs to do, expectations to meet and time to keep. I get caught up in the daily grind to complete everything on that list. Yet if I was nearing the end of my life, like the holiday season, I'd take time to spend with my children who're growing up too fast. We often escape for a few hours mid-afternoon to head to our favourite beach, Mudjimba. Leaving our worries behind, we traverse the sand, listen to the ocean and feel the breeze on our skin. It's in these care-free moments that real connections are made.

Connection is vital, family doesn't always equal blood. What matters most during the holiday season is finding and embracing the connection you share with people. The people you spend the holiday season with may be scarred, aged or a little fragile, but they are the people you surround yourself with during the season of love, of giving and rebirth. The artwork reflects what matters most during the holiday season through the image of brightly coloured leaves that represent connection and hope for the now and the future.

Time, love and connection. These are what matter most. Special holidays and dying highlight this to us, But it's true anytime of the year and at any stage of life. Blessed are the people who have, live and give These attributes, Because everything else darkens In comparison, Even death itself.

This holiday season marks a new tradition - an empty chair for you. You got to see your son (my husband) return home after his bone marrow transplant. You cared for your darling Jarrah so I could sleep at the hospital. You said to me “I know he’s going to be alright now”. A couple of months later, it was your turn to be the patient. Part of me thinks you waited for Dane’s recovery, for his strength to return, before you could finally relent to your own illness. You simply couldn’t die without first knowing that we were safe.

The holiday seasons for me is a time for family, love and laughter. It is these positive powerful moments in time that are remembered forever even after the passing of someone very special. They never leave but live on forever. So to me are the most precious and powerful moments that one can experience in their life. I believe I have captured one of these moments that are unforgettably valuable to life and will always bring me a little smile.