Welcome to my new home in an old church, illuminated with sunlight filtered through vibrant stained glass windows casting an ethereal glow that breathes life into the stillness of this sacred space. These stained glass windows have been standing here for 131 years, still intact though cracked and sagging in some places, still radiating beauty, a reminder to embrace my flaws and celebrate the light that reflects through me.
I stand here naked, not just of the body but of the spirit. I was born not just to exist but to proclaim my truth. 25 years of birthday nudes has led to this most provocative image: the divine and the profane. Isn’t it the human experience to reach for divinity from our carnal form? Do we not spend our lives locked in a struggle between light and dark, courage and vulnerability, life and death?
At my age, each birthday brings a whisper of death. And as more of my loved ones cross over, that whisper gets louder. I hear their voices inside me now. I take on what was vital in them and keep it alive in me. Like stained glass windows, I am a mosaic of moments, pieces of my beloveds shining through me in every story I tell about them.
I am filled with a renewed sense of purpose: to shine! For the sake of those who are not anymore with us, and for the sake of those of us who remain and need a beacon to remind ourselves that it is okay to be brave and vulnerable and flawed and old and weird and scared. I love you.
Cheers! 🍷
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