Myriam, Manzanita beach, Oregon, Canon Rebel Xti

“That’s why I came,” she said, and pointed to this picture on the little screen of my camera. And I understood her completely. We got to see ourselves this weekend. We got to see our spirits reflected back to us. In a world where all we notice is what’s wrong, how far we have to go, what we need to fix…it is a rare gift.

What an incredible thing, to see ourselves as we truly are, the magic of ourselves, the gift of us. Not the better lose this, trim this, icky, what’s my hair doing, scrunch of the face we often do in the mirror, but the seeing the best of who we are reflected back to us in someone else’s eyes.

We didn’t plan it this way but I saw it unfold all around us. Unspoken or not, there were whispers in the cool, salty air…I see you. I see how wise you are, and funny… Wow, you are so powerful and tender all at the same time. You are a safe haven, it’s good to be near you…

It’s hard to put into words. We vascillated between deep talks and tears that surprised us to silly dancing around the bonfire with wigs and outrageous laughter. There’s something special that happens when girls get together. It’s intimate, it’s fun, it’s silly, it’s sacred.. This was all of those things.

I look forward to sharing more photos and stories with you…