footprints

When I think of the meaning of place, there are two aspects that jump to the forefront of my mind.

These two pieces are what transform a space from a geographical location to a place of connectivity; a place where vulnerability dances in the arms of security. These being the memories made in a place and the people you share the place with. With these, we are able to form attachment and sentiment to the places we go, and the people we choose to bring along with us. This beautiful reality brings light to the regions we have explored, and the distances we will travel to in the future.

What lies at the heart of a place, are the people who inhabit it. The land that we grow to cherish, and the footprints we leave behind as we tread forth with our lives.

This weekend, my family and I had the pleasure of spending time in the beauty of creation, taking a break from the hustle and bustle of real life to reconnect and newly connect with a group of very special people. We all traveled different distances to arrive at our destination, but what we all shared was our deep love and appreciation for the two individuals who brought us there.

Emotion overtook me as I sat on the wooden benches. The lake, a humble expanse before me — the trees standing in solidarity lining the perimeter of the water. The raw beauty of this wedding ceremony made my heart swell. It was such a gift being there to celebrate the love of two people so near and dear to me, and watch as they declared their love for one another in front of their friends and family.

Together, they will continue to grow with eachother, learning about themselves as individuals as well as a couple, strengthening and redefining their ideas of what it means to them to walk humbly as one in this creation. Through their love for eachother, those who know them have been lucky enough to watch and observe as their meaning of “home” shifts from a place to a person. One of safety, comfort, love, trust and understanding.

M & J, thank you for including us in your special day. It is a weekend we will cherish for the rest of time.

-A