Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom
~ Marcel Proust
Stephen and I just returned from a trip to Montana. This is where we met. I lived in Montana from 2003 to 2009 and despite only 6 years, it has remained one of the most incredibly memorable times of my life. It was filled with so many new adventures and explorations of an uninhibited land of raw beauty that is breathtaking. Along this journey, I also met some of the most inspiring women in my life whom I am proud to call my friends. These ladies are no-nonsense. Each one has a deep, inner soulful core that radiates a warm kindness that projects like an aureola around each one’s unshackled, determined spirit. Their presence together is like some Star Wars Jedi force field of fun, camaraderie, laughter, and adventure.
It is even like the well-versed Maya Angelou saying: that you can forget what people say and what people do but you cannot forget how they make you feel. I feel like most of us when we engage with others, unfortunately, can still have a swirl in our mind of distracting thoughts that may prevent a genuine visit. I have to make an effort at times to remind myself to stay in the present moment.
When I am with these gals it is effortless to just BE! I am so excited, like a little kid, that I enjoy everyone so much and even more so when we congregate, that I effortlessly am in the moment. It rattles me in a good way that I am able to have such a feeling of being content and feeling blissful. Additionally, sooo grateful that I have these women in my life.
So here are some pictures from MT - Stephen did come as well:). The trip originated as a girls’ trip. Us girls for a few years had been having annual backpacks and then one ski trip in Idaho. The Rona put a stop on visitation for a while so we decided to restart the get-together back up and Karen Florey, who lives in Montana, hosted at her home in Columbia Falls. Everyone used to live in MT except for 1 of the ladies and several of us have moved away. As another common phrase - my time in MT was like lightning in a bottle and the fact that I can sometimes re-create that with these visits causes me to pause and say “thank you” to the universe.
