But here’s the best part.

I have a husband, brothers, children, sisters, nieces and nephews who all come from the same unique gene pool.  During the Labor Day Weekend, we decided Grandma Bev needed new photos on her wall.  And here were the rules:  raw, natural,  unedited, and real.  Dirty faces, uncleaned floor, dance parties, posing, laughing, and loving.  Here’s the family…in all our glory.  And believe it or not, this isn’t even all of us.

Happy Labor Day to all!

She’s alone and has the strong awareness of being insignificant.   Instead of love, knowledge, and strength, she has only learned survival and how to merely subsist.  She is dark, companion-less, woeful, and desolate.

These characteristics might seem far fetched, but at one time or another, each of us have felt this way. I truly can’t help but get emotional when looking at these photographs.

Why?  Because these inward thoughts are real, and they’re literally, all around us.

A homeless person on the street who has succumbed to substance, the new girl at school who feels estranged, the poor kid in class who feels judged, the single mom who feels unsightly,  the unmarried woman who feels rejected, the overweight man that feels solitary, the father that feels unsuccessful, the son who feels like a failure, the daughter who feels no confidence, and the soul that feels no worth.

A man named Richard G. Scott asks, “With all my capacity I encourage you to discover who you really are.”  I’m a woman of faith, a believer in a higher power.  I believe that if we truly had the chance to reflect, to observe, and to actually see in the mirror the person that we truly were made to be, our fears and self-doubt would simply vanish.

Hidden behind her abandoned hat, her eyes are the most prominent blue.  Under the top of her soiled dress is a loving and swelling heart.  Beneath the stained oils are nurturing and rearing hands.   Disguised by dirty blemishes is a pure and flawless face.  Masked by the noise of the world is a soft, delicate voice waiting to be heard.  And covered by judgments, stereotypes, and heartlessness, is a beautiful soul who’s worth is profoundly and unmistakably infinite.

And is every bit of equal to you and I.

Hair: Michael Gabriel Lyons
Makeup Artistry: Savanah Colbert
Model: Kate Rasmussen

(Behind the scenes and individual shots, click below to enlarge.)