-Destruction to Design-
 
Boxed before you is destruction.
 
Destruction brought by sixty-mile-an-hour winds and thirty inches of rain that rushed down our mountain slopes. Trees were scattered like toothpicks across roads, trails, and homes. It was damage on a scale none of us had ever seen.
 
When everything is broken and bent, the only thing left to do is get curious and get creative.
 
Each of these ornaments is handcrafted from trees taken down by Hurricane Helene. After the storm passed and the full weight of the damage was clear, I joined friends and neighbors to clear trails, roads, sidewalks, and homes. Along the way, I kept asking myself what could be done with all the wood left behind. I gathered fallen branches from every site we cleared, not knowing what they would become, only knowing I wanted to make meaning from all that waste.
 
Turning destruction into beauty is a rewarding journey for anyone who tries. With time, effort, passion, and a clear vision, we can transform the world around us. We can sand the rough edges smooth and make use of what we already have. Our gift in this world is the ability to see the best even in what is broken, to believe in second chances, and to endure the grit long enough to come out polished on the other side.
 
We are creatures of love and endurance. What was will never be again, but we can honor it. We cherish the memories and celebrate their warmth. We nurture the new as it rises from the old, shaping it in a way that remembers the past and gives strength to a more brilliant future.
 
-XCVI-