Hold Hands, Stand Tall, Sisters

This is the poster we carried as we marched alongside more than 100,000 people at the Denver Women’s March in January. The picture of Eliza and Georgia was taken the day before the march…the day Donald Trump was inaugurated. That day, Jan 20, was decidedly rough and Eliza and Georgia recognized that we (ok, I) needed to get out of the city and into nature.

We drove for several hours through the mountains and eventually stopped at an incredible playground on the outskirts of Ft. Collins. The playground was empty and the girls were thrilled to have free rein of the state-of-the-art equipment. I found a bench to sulk on, but it wasn’t long before I was summoned to, “Come quick!”

“Mama!!! Take our picture! We climbed all the way up this mountain!”

I ran over and found the girls standing hand in hand, firmly planted on the edge of a boulder. As I looked up, I noticed their expressions seemed particularly fierce and defiant. They were devastated when I broke the news that Trump won the election, but on Inauguration Day, it appeared they weren’t going to take it lying down. They climbed to the top of a steep boulder and held hands in support of one another. Then they called their mama over to document their accomplishment, thereby cheering her up with an incredible photo opportunity.

Eliza encouraged me to post the image on Instagram and suggested the hashtag #holdhandsstandtallsisters

That night we turned the picture and the message into a protest poster which the girls marched all over Denver the next day.

Our dear friend Lori Reed, who also marched in Denver, gave it a lovely home.

A couple months later we were in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Eliza and Georgia were climbing on boulders and Eliza said, “I have an idea! Let’s take pictures of me and Georgia standing on rocks, holding hands every single place we go in the world….like we did in Colorado!” And so began the “Hold Hands, Stand Tall, Sisters” photo series:

Deadwood, SD

Central Park, NY

Cape Cod, Race Point Beach

Cape Cod, Head of the Meadow Beach

These sisters are stronger together. I have to confess, I thought that having to be each other’s sole entertainment for eight months would cause them to grow tired of one another, but it has had the opposite affect. They have grown closer than ever. As we brace ourselves for the inevitable challenges of international travel, I am relieved that Eliza and Georgia find such joy, comfort and companionship in each other. The strength and courage they derive from each other when faced with the hardship of living all over the map has made this sabbatical absolutely worthwhile. And their desire to climb (literally) to new heights and hold each other’s hands in solidarity gives me such hope, not only for the upcoming journey abroad, but for their future as sisters.

Innsbrook, MO

It’s not to say that they don’t have challenging moments. They do. In the above photo, Eliza wanted to pose for a #holdhandsstandtallsisters picture in front of her favorite waterfall, but Georgia wouldn’t hold Eliza’s hand because she had been touching slimy river creatures…..

Hold Sleeves, Stand Tall, Sisters?

I will update this post with all future #holdhandsstandtallsisters images as well as share them on Instagram (eyeweise)

Rüschegg Heubach, Switzerland