Gilchrist Park, Punta Gorda FL

I took this photograph the day my grandmother died.

I was visiting my paternal grandmother in a Charlotte County nursing home in January of 2016 as a resut of accelerated deterioration of her health due to liver failure. The morning she passed, my Aunt and I received "the" call.

I've never been one to focus on the bad things. I knew that stopping her death was out of my hands, so I made a promise to myself that I would spend the time I had in Florida reliving memories I had made with her and my grandfather.

Of the many locations I visited and people I spoke to, the most meaningful and memorable of all was the Gilchrist Park, a park that my grandparents had brought me to hundreds of times when I was younger. I spent countless hours playing with my siblings and friends in this remarkably beautiful tree that found its home in the center of the park.

I was lucky enough to snap this photo and have cherished it ever since.

I edited the photo and my Aunt had the edited version framed. This is one of my most treasured possessions.