After my mother's recovery from cancer, I was still left anxious and worried about her wellbeing, despite her triumph with the disease. Wanting to confront my fears of death, I began looking towards what connected me best to my mother; our love for animals. This led me to commemorating dead animals such as roadkill. In my ability to closely observe and sit with their decaying bodies, I can later emphasis my feelings of reverence and gratitude for them through painting, sculpture, photography, and installations. This mother opossum was one of the animals I picked up during my routine roadkill searches. Her joeys were still alive and, unfortunately, I could not rescue them. I learned soon after that a mother opossum will release a toxin in her milk to kill her young who are too young to leave her pouch. My interaction with her left me wondering about my own ties with my mother. Unlike the joeys, I will not die when she dies first. Despite impending hardship, I will try to find joy.