and then there was the waterfront. made me think about how many storms this coastline has endured. the storms. the hurricanes. the blizzards. i was drawn to little bits of color. and shapes. objects i’d never really noticed before. for a sense of what it normally looks like, i took one the day before – mid-day right when the snow began and included it at the end.

sometimes it’s the signs & the scenes. the ones without people or where people look really small in comparison. ones where color is the story. and those signs. ones that feel lonely in their own right. ones that have been there longer than most. ones that included a white stop sign.

a winter day. a setting sun. six beautiful girls. golden light. light that is definitively warm & cool at the same time. radiant yet subtle. muted & vibrant. it was a duality that perfectly reflected a great bit about this day but it shone ever so strikingly on these young faces.

i’d tried a few different areas looking for one that’d catch the light and back light them. the trick was finding a spot where the houses that were behind the park weren’t visible. and then i found the area which is where i did most of them. as they all had their hair tied up in a cute little bun on top of their heads, i asked each girl to shake their hair out as the fullness of their hair and the rosy cheeks set against the setting sun was sublime. we did one for me (unsmiling) and one for their mom (smiling). very happy with them despite the branded clothing. it is a day of life with girls at this age – abercrombie, hollister and all!

well…if you take a gaggle of girls age 8-11, a not as freezing winter day, a late afternoon and a playground in marblehead, this is what you get from my view. the story behind this day has a bit of tragedy in it but you’d never have known from seeing them play. there is wisdom to be had here. play as a way to cope. to forget. to just soak up the richness that is now. if only we as adults could tap into that.

at any rate, here they are…at play. i’ll show the portraits we took tomorrow.

there is so much to say about these two without even knowing them but a lick of a day. their smile – infectious. their being full of light. given what they’ve been through this week, it says a great deal about who they are, how they’re raised, and the kind of love that holds them up strong, tall, and graceful. i have more from this day but thought it fitting to show just these two.

…

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas tree,
Your beauty green will teach me
That hope and love will ever be
The way to joy and peace for me.

and so it goes. in truth, this holiday felt a lot different. sort of like a non-holiday. i never did get around to decorating, and the day i thought i’d do something about it,  situations arose that were concerning. with an outcome that spun me around to what’s really important – hope & love. those we love. those we love being well and healthy. i didn’t document for our holiday either as my time was spent in the kitchen without a camera. but i did manage to take a little walk christmas morning and found this incredible tree with a santa hat. and then the holiday display in front of a house that is decorated for every hallmark occasion. one that typically makes my eyes roll along with a sign of gratitude for living on another street. but i took a closer look yesterday and found the expressions fascinating – particularly in the arrangement. so…as next week will be a new year, i wish you all year filled with hope & love as a way to joy & peace. x/o

and as i’m last in our rounds, please do start at the beginning…with one who always gives a story from the heart -  Marla Misclevitz, Simply Splendid Images in portland.