be your own beloved

my dear friend em posted a link today that i was intrigued by when i saw a short excerpt from it. the words that introduced the link said the following: "the older we get, the more loved ones we lose to accidents and illness. their passing is always tragic and far too soon. i sometimes think about what these friends—and the people who love them—wouldn’t give for more time in a body that was healthy. a body that would allow them to live just a little longer. the size of that body’s thighs or the lines on its face wouldn’t matter. it would be alive and therefore it would be perfect."

the words "wouldn't give for more time in a body that was healthy" sucked me right in. obviously, i can relate.

i think that anyone who has the ability to affect how girls think of themselves should read the article which is called when your mother says she's fat. it is an awesome piece.

when i was on the retreat in oregon, i was talking to vivienne mcmaster about her upcoming web class that is starting. vivienne rocks by the way, and if you aren't reading her blog, liking her on facebook, or following her on instagram like yours truly, you should be. trust me. your life will be better for having her insight in it. the words "be your own beloved" are the words you see at the top of her website. enough said.

she is the reason that i have started to take more self-portraits, including this one that i shared from the retreat.

her upcoming class that is kicking off is called "be your own beloved" and you can read more about it here.  i decided at the retreat that i was going to sign up and was going to do the daily prompts with malena. she seriously loves to take pictures, and there is no better focus for her to have than her own image.

bring on the selfies, i can already tell you that every single one is going to show a gorgeous girl - the ones that are of me and the ones that are of her.

i think that one of the best gifts i could ever give malena is for her to know that she should always be her own beloved. so glad that vivienne will be teaching us both this lesson.

can't wait for class to start.

ps) tnx em for sharing - xoxo