New site and shoppe are live!

http://paintthemoon.net

http://paintthemoon.net/blog

:)

An all new Paint the Moon Photography and Photographer's Tools Flash web site and blog coming SOOOOONNNN!! Hoping to have everything set up and kinks worked up by next week! Stay tuned for the links here! :D

Peace and love, friends!

To Write Love On Her Arms

© Paint the Moon Photography 2010
Images may not be used without written permission

To Write Love on Her Arms is a non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide. TWLOHA exists to encourage, inform, inspire and also to invest directly into treatment and recovery.
TWLOHA Site

To Write Love On Her Arms Day (Feb 13) is a day where anyone can write the words love on their arms, to support those who are fighting against depression and those who are trying to recovering. On this day, just write love on your arms, and show it off, other people will ask why you have love written on your arms, and you tell them you are supporting to write love on her arms day, and how its benefiting a non profit organization helping stop depression, and make love the movement ♥

This is a particularly personal cause for me. I had suffered from severe depression and addiction (eating disorders) since I was 14 years old. When I was 22 I began cutting myself as a way to deal with the pain. I have never shared this with anyone outside my immediate family and therapists ... but I think this is a fabulous organization, and very worthy of spilling my guts out in order to bring about more awareness. After suffering over half of my life, being in and out of hospitals over the years, I finally sought real treatment seven years ago. I've been healthy and recovering from from both the eating disorders and the depression for six years ... and haven't cut myself in seven years.

Self injury is such a mis-understood and taboo subject. I have scars up and down both arms and legs. I am ashamed of them but also proud that I was able to get through such a dark period in my life and have found such happiness within myself and my precious family now. I am a much stronger person now for everything I have been through (including losing my little brother in a car accident at the age of 21 and becoming ill with a disabling illness, POTS, last summer). I don't know what I'll say to my daughter the day she is old enough to ask about mommy's scarred up limbs. It felt good to write the word LOVE over the top of old, but healed (inside and out) scars.

This photo turned out nothing like I had planned. A. jumped in there just as I hit the remote button and I'm so glad she did ... she was such a huge part of my healing process. She was my miracle after having put my body through so much abuse over the years ... my body still blessed me with a gorgeous, healthy little girl (and on the first try, no less!). And now, once again, even though broken and ill, I have another little miracle growing inside my tummy ... adding to our family's happiness.

You can find my 365 photos and more on my Flicker stream:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/paintthemoon/