Giving it back and PAYING IT FORWARD The COVID-19 pandemic inspired Napa artist Jessel Miller to new creative heights L AY N E R A N D O L P H “What is charity? Charity is the act of giving help to those in need of it. It is a humanitarian act. It involves giving money, goods, or time and effort to those who need it.” – Jessel Miller The year 2020 is gone, and suffice it to say, no one is unhappy about that. Here in the Napa Valley, 2020 hit harder than in other places because not only did a pandemic require 14 | DISTINCTIVE PROPERTIES
the closure and restriction of businesses, but two of the biggest and most destructive wildfires in Napa history ravaged the area. To say that the people of Napa Valley are resilient would be an understatement. There were also cultural upheavals in 2020 that battered and bruised many communities adding to the chaos. We watched natural
disasters threaten wildlife worldwide; we witnessed millions of animals suffering and dying in the Australian outback, thousands of fish washing up on shores around the world, and birds falling from the sky. It was a year. And the pandemic added an element that the world has not seen since World War II—a global crisis that indirectly pulled the planet APRIL 2021
