Peacemaker

Dae-Dae, Thats her name. There she stands a little over three feet and bullet proof. She struck this pose without any prompting. Her intentions were not to look significant or profound. She had no agenda or platform. She was just being herself. A child. A child from a large family. A child who lives in a small house. A child from a safe-city but who lives in the "bad" part of town. A child whose weapon is her runny nose and whose power exists in her tears.

Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
Matthew 5:9

Bold

I love this picture... its bold, its interesting, its beautiful. A candid in all it's honesty.

I took it when I studied abroad in Oxford, fall of 2004. A instinctive-quick flash of fascination, seeking to answer a question- who is this woman? What was her mission? Without a shadow of a doubt, she is the focal point of this visual time capsule. She is what draws your attention. She is what makes this picture. She brings to life the rich, bold, colors of life that surrounds her. She is the one with a story worth telling. Without her this piece would lack all of it's power. Look at her... she looks so fierce in her petite, buttoned up, bold-blue coat. She makes you want to ask who, what, and and most importantly where? Perhaps she was determined to make it to Sansbury's market to grab up all the specials. Maybe she was headed to her ladies ritual tea time - pounding the pavement, confident in her punctuality. Or just maybe, she was out for a brisk walk, conquering the world one step at a time?

Obviously, when I took this picture, I did not know this woman from Eve. I did not know who she was or where she headed.

But I did know this....

Wherever she was headed- she was going to get there. And whoever she was- she believed in herself. And she inspired me to do the same.

To be:

A woman on a mission.

A woman who knew she would get there.

A woman who inspired others to do the same.

A woman in a bold blue coat who brought out the rich boldness and beauty of the life in and around her.