Blessing Way

I am privileged.

I am privileged to be surrounded by the women in these photos. They represent strength, simplicity, beauty, friendship in the truest sense of the word, community, and I see something unique in every one of them. These are some of the women I could not get by without.

This group of women gathered to honor and celebrate my sister(-in-law), Jackie, as she embarks on a new journey, birthing a fourth life into the world.

"I am a willow, flexible

beautiful

resilient

endowed with the power of surrender

to the wind rustling through my leaves,

my branches.

My roots reach deep into Mother Earth,

anchored in Her strength,

I bring forth life in joy!"

-Willow Tree:: Bonnie Anderson

Each of us shared our blessings, encouragement, how we have been moved by Jackie, our hearts. Yes, there were tears shed :).

..you live with a deep inner strength, openness, and elegance

..look, feel, let life take you by the hand. let life live through you.

new journey brings new strength and new experience

enjoy the simple moments

We created a bracelet for Jackie out of beads we had selected with purposeful intention

this bead, like your family, would not have been what it is without the 4th part.

Our friend, Jen, lead us in a beautiful belly-dance interpretation of birth

Jen celebrated Jackie with the gift of henna art

Alisa, our midwife, blessed Jackie with a Native-American foot scrub with cornmeal with words of wisdom that spoke to us all

Baby Alder, we cannot wait to meet you. See you around October 10th-XO