Ferns are ancient. They are truly our elders and embody powerful wisdom that can benefit our lives. Every spring, our beloved sword ferns send up spiraling fiddleheads amidst tall green fronds, as the rusty senescence of past growth cascades back down to the soil below. To witness this trilogy of life stages all in one plant – birth, life, and return -- is breathtaking and reassuring. We live in a culture that is still learning how to courageously accept death as part of life. I believe that fern language can help ease our fear of endings, instill trust in the cycles of life, and be a balm to our spirits in times of illness or decline. As such, I created a triptych textile mural that magnifies the poetics of sword fern fronds in three stages. This will soon be hung in the family dining room at Montage Medical Group’s recently renovated Westland House in Monterey, CA, which has a hospice unit. (Title quote source: Dr. Mary C. Neal’s insight from a near-death experience that helped her navigate the loss of her son).