i have arrived in amsterdam for the european summit. already, a pre-event dinner with a lively group of change makers promises an eventful weekend. this morning i am thinking about children–my own, several time zones away sleeping soundly in their beds, and the nearly 400 who attend the school that mama lucy built in tanzania, in the space her chicken coop once stood.

there is so much work to do in the world. but what i realized, again, in the company of such dynamic and passionate people last night, is that there are great things happening and dedicated real people doing them. i am honored to be here and can’t wait to capture it all.

i am reminded that showing up is the first, and perhaps most important, part. in a new setting, and in the company of the admired, i  admittedly fret over what my my byline is, over how to best express what i have to offer, over whether i am tongue-tied and making a good first impression. and then i remember why i am here: to be present, to listen, to offer, and to collaborate. this event is about passion and doing the work that feeds the soul. that i know. and that i am showing up for.

photo: mother and daughter. omel. gulu, uganda. april 2010. cafwa.

i learned on this most recent getaway that shifts are subtle. that turning a corner is like a whisper of recognition after it has already happened. and that i am, already, the woman i’ve longed for.

rested, sunned, in love, and totally here.

feeling ready to ease into fall and all that is coming. meeting with linda cole of CAFWA tomorrow to continue collaboration on projects with the images taken in uganda. traveling to squam and nyc in september, and some exciting news about travel in october coming soon.

i’m living my wildest dream–i highly recommend it.

beauty in paicho. gulu, uganda. april 2010.

so this is my new online home. amazing how it feels like so much more than just a website. creating this space has been quite a process of claiming words, images, truths and visions. it feels good. and i know i would never have been able to put myself out there had it not been for the women i’ve met in my travels over the past year–travels afar and travels deep within myself. my insides are all over this site. my work in the world more clear than ever. and i am ready to live fully out loud.

take a look around–there is much to see. the ever patient and talented jo klima of the darling tree has done an incredible job of reading my mind and coding my dream.

in celebration of the occasion, i’ve made a little video with bits of the limited footage that i took in both india and uganda. it is filled with some of the behind the scenes beauty and connection i experienced and is dedicated to the women featured; those who have welcomed me into their homes and shown me doorways into their lives, and into my own heart, that have lead me to this moment. to know these women better, please visit the doorways project page (link above).

enjoy. remember how much love and beauty there REALLY is in the world. it is ours for the sharing. we all benefit from our mutual well being.

and right now i am banking on that faith.

throwing my hands up and hollering: i am here! welcome! i love you! dance with me!

dancer, bali, indonesia. august 2008.

it is monday again, late on this summer solstice, wherein i am sitting in the dark lit only by my laptop screen. my heart is a little racy, maybe from the crazy boot camp exercise class i went to this evening, or maybe because i am humming along with the shift of seasons. everything feels alive, exquisite, wholly perceptible. i am following my experience with curiosity. with tenderness. with faith, forgiveness, and reminders.

new truths emerge with each day. they sit in the tension of my shoulders, in the curve of my back, tie knots in my belly, and eventually make their way to my heart. i am holding them there. allowing for the inevitable release and integration that follows.

many years ago, before marriage and children, i spent a summer in alaska working at a camp for young adults with physical and mental disabilities. between sessions, in the late evenings, which were as clear and bright as daytime, the other staff and i would often jump in the lake and swim. i remember doing so on the summer solstice, all twenty years of me alive and free with anything and everything ahead. today, my solstice meditation is on that memory. one of found friends and fellow dreamers, naked and willing, back floating under a midnight sun with rays willing to shine right through into the next day.

happy solstice, everyone. breathe it in.

and please visit my gloriously gutsy friend jo's monday me post . she is everything real.