The way is clear,
The light is good,
I have no fear,
Nor no one should.
The woods are just trees,
The trees are just wood….
~ Stephen Sondheim

Wednesday, July 8th

Hello Mother, hello Daughter,

We left our home in Raleigh, our minivan chocked full with gifts, surprises, art supplies, and food enough for five days for 17 of us. My heart trembled with realization … as –together with my daughters now ages 14 and 12– we had embarked on the pilgrimage I had been dreaming of for nearly a year to the day.

This journey represents multiple dreams coming true: the dream of my daughters experiencing for themselves the secrets of the woods, the dream of co-creating an artful retreat with my dear friend Wendy Cook, and the dream of offering loving time and space for sacred sharing between mothers together and their daughters. Blessings Womanifest!

After several hours of sunshiny driving, we hit an intense patch–an hour of driving in torrential rain –yes, think cats and dogs. I took it as a cleansing (and bonus–the minivan needed a good clean 😉 ) Eventually the clouds and rain lifted as my daughters and I began the off-road portion of our journey, closer to our secret place in the the woods. With Sondheim’s musical lyrics Into the Woods singing in my mind, I began thinking about how far removed so much of our modern culture has become, distanced away from the very nature that sustains our lifestyles.

♫♪ Into the woods it’s time we go ♫♪ … to rewild our bodies and souls. All at once we noticed so many things…. just how many variations on green are there? and oh so many different plants! Our senses awakened feeling each bump in the dirt road, slowing down to keep up with the butterfly fly-bys guiding our way. We arrived at the secret location where our Mighty Creative dream was about to come true. I can’t wait to see the girls’ reactions to this magical place. I can’t wait to greet the moms and tell them they are home. What wonder awaits?! What joys will be discovered?! What secrets will nature reveal? What new friends will arrive to share our adventure?!   Butterflies abound all around and within. Feeling wildly blessed. til tomorrow…

love & creatiful blessings,

❤ becky