Hidden Wings

Her strength was hidden by her fears. 

A cloak that covered her great powers, making her seem weak. 

Her focus was always directed on the future, yet the darknesses of the past continued to try and drown her, it tried to sink her, dragging her deep below the surface of the present moment she so longed to see. 

A light was bright within her, guiding her, and others. 

Yet, she never saw this light, though she was told about it by many.

The storms that chased her kept her focused on the fears that she was determined to conquer. 

What she saw was darkness, fear and worry.

Doubts plagued her thoughts, poisoning her mind like chains, dragging her down.

The depth of her seas took her under, yet she always found ways to swim back up to the surface to breathe. 

Yet, not for long. 

Storms constantly took her under, so she learned to breathe underwater. 

She found her strength within the depths, finding peace in her solace, she found her ground to stand on, deep within the storm under the sea that surrounded her, on sands at the bottom of the ocean. 

In the deep depths of the sea, she found her way, she finally saw the light that others had been guided by whenever she was near. 

On a day that seemed ordinary, she found she had wings.

Learning how to swim with them under water, she wondered if they could also take her above the surface. 

She kicked off from the sands on the bottom of the ocean floor.

Pushing through the cold waters, she emerged, flying above the sea, into the clouds above.

She realized she could also fly.

– M. 

Falling Apart

Sometimes you have to let yourself fall apart.

Let your soul crack open and fall all over the place.

Let it be.

Don’t try to fix it all.

Don’t try to put yourself back together right away.

Just be cracked apart.

Open like broken skin.

Feelings pulsating like a racing heartbeat.

Exhausted and lost with no idea where you even want to try to step.

Not even sure if you’re ready to move forward with anything at all.

Just be broken and completely fallen apart.

Then little by little, you’ll find all the pieces that you want to keep and put them back together.

You’ll reach out for your missing parts and collect them all, deciding what’s no longer for you, and what is still for you.

And in the slowest, most delicate way, you will piece yourself back together again.

You will be whole.

Not the same as you were.

A better version, without the parts that were holding you down, and holding you back.

Rewrite your story.

Rewrite your life.

Put yourself back together and remember you are perfectly imperfect.

You are your own best project.

You are your own best masterpiece.

Never forget.

And that light at the end of the road will always be waiting for you.

Even if you need to sit in the middle of the road with your arms crossed, your eyebrows furrowed, saying “f*** off you too da*mn bright light, don’t tell me what to do or where to go. I’ll do what I want, when I want to do it.”

We will make our way.

We will walk our path.

Or we will sit.

We will walk when we are ready.

We will do it in our own time, in our own way, when we feel ready.

Now go and be you, and don’t let anyone tell you how to be you or how to live your life, not even me in these poetic ways.

You do you.

And if any of this triggers you, ignore it and block me, and I’ll be okay with that.

You mattter.

You are important.

Your feelings are #1.

With love,
Monica

Your Presence Matters

Sometimes life leaves us in a place of wonder…

Wondering what all these challenges are showing us.

Wondering what our purpose is.

Wondering what this life is leading us towards.

Some may say we are taking a journey.

Some may say we are here to have fun.

Others might say we are just working our way towards death.

Yet, some may see there is deeper meaning.

All in all, we must take each day as it comes.

Some days have great highs and some are just as plain as oatmeal without all the excitement some sweeteners or fruit may give it.

Each one matters.

Each one brings us closer to a certain goal.

We all have a destiny that may not be seen just yet.

We each have a particular purpose, just like each grain of sand that hold up each foot step for all the life that walks across the beach.

Remember this, on those days you feel less than great, you have purpose.

You matter.

Thank you for being here, and being a support for someone’s footsteps, no matter how big or small, your presence helps.

🐾🦶👣

  • M.

You Can’t Force What Is Not Meant To Be

Nature has a way of guiding us.

Teaching us to let things be.

We can’t force anything that’s not meant to be.

Man has a way of wanting to control.

Nature shows us that we must let go of control.

There is a process of how things are.

No matter what you do, if it is not for you, it will not work.

You can try to push it.

You can try to pull it along.

But how far do you need to go, forcing what is not meant to be to try and fit where it doesn’t belong?

We all go through changes.

This is life.

Part of being human is continuous evolution.

We don’t stay the same.

So when we try to stay all and continue to do the same routines that are no longer fit for us, it’s going to become uncomfortable.

Just like wearing clothes we have grown out of.

Or working at a job that we are over qualified for, because we have taken classes to move beyond that position.

When it’s time to move on, we will feel it.

And if we continue to try to wear those clothes, or stay in that job that no longer fits us, there will be big signs that force us to move on.

Have you ever worn pants that spit up the… backside? – I have…. Not fun!

If you’re feeling pushed to move on, listen.

If you are feeling the need to find a new place in life, go for it.

We can’t stay small if we have grown bigger.

We can’t expect to fit into places that we have been working so hard to move away from.

So go.

Get out there.

Make room for your new growth.

Re-pot, re-pant, re-job, or re-locate yourself.

There is no better way to feel more comfortable than to listen to that energy and MOVE ON!

Your growth deserves energy to move.

Your new life is waiting for you.

🪴

📸 – Thisimage is from 2020, a nice day trip with an old friend.

A quick edit, but I will be doing more work on this image to prepare it for printing.

If you are interested in my prints please message me for more information.

I am looking forward to adding more of these beautiful images to my online shop on my website, and will be getting some up at local shops.

Thank you for your interest and support. ☀️🙏🏻

http://www.HealingCreationsPNW.com
.
.
.

regrowth #plant #healing #beauty #new #newlife

Deeply Rooted In Yourself

Be deeply rooted…

Deeply rooted in your self-love.

Deeply rooted in your self-care.

Deeply rooted in your self-respect.

Deeply rooted in how you value yourself in all the ways.

We can find ourselves getting lost in taking care of other people, neglecting our own needs.

Work, family, friends, partners, life can take over our minds and take up our mental to do list.

We can give and give and give, but forget how we also need to receive.

We don’t necessarily need to receive from others, but we do need to receive from ourselves.

Remember to fill your own cup before filling another’s.

When you wake up, check in with yourself.

Before you go to bed, check in with yourself.

Throughout the day we can be so busy, but it’s important to remember to take time to come back to your own body, your own feelings and take a mental note on how you are feeling.

Become deeply rooted in yourself.

This life is full of distractions, but when we can remember that our needs are also important, we can find more grounding and peace.

This is how we find our balance.

You matter.

  • M.

🌲
.
.
.

tree #roots #rooted #maketimeforyou #wtiter #writing #mentalhealth #checkin #healing #selflove #selfcare #faith #trust #reflection #rooted #healingyourself #youmatter #photography #treeroots #hope #washington #portangeles #photographer #heal #nature #selflove #selfhelp #inspiration #inspirationalwriter

Reflect

How often to you reflect on how far you’ve come?

Step back and remember where you were last year.

You made it here.

Bask in gratitude for you are still here, you’re still growing, you’re still fighting and the good fight.

Some things may not be as you would like them, but life is a progression.

It’s a process.

Be still and remember you are doing your best.

Keep moving forward.

It’s always good to take time to reflect on how far you’ve have come.

It helps us to find peace within the new challenges in life.

There will always be challenges, but they don’t have to overtake you.

Sit back and breathe, you’re doing a good job.

👏🏼 🌊 🤗

.
.
.

reflect #peace #waves #life #remember #pnw #writer #photographer #naturephotography #inspiration #meaningful #lifeisgood

Breathe in Life

Life is better at the beach. 🏖️

  • Take time to take care of you.

Life blows by.

All of a sudden, it’s the next year. The next season, or the next century.

How often are you slowing down to remember what brings you joy and peace?

How often are you remembering to breathe. Not just to live, but to feel life.

Be with this moment.

Breathe in this moment.

Life goes by quickly.

Stop counting the second and the regrets.

Start counting your blessings and your breaths.

💜

.
.
.

Place Road Beeach – 7/15/25 – – taken with my Nikon camera 📸 I have so much gratitude for this beach, and my wonderful camera. 🙏🏻

There are edits done to this image. I will be changing it up to be ready for print.

If anyone is interested in prints of any of my photographs, I will be adding a section to my website for this.

Thank you for your support. 💜
.
.
.

portangeles #wa #beach #sunset #photographer #photography #sunsetbeach #prints #camera #nikon #life #peace #writer #adventure #pnw #summer #2025

#camera

Healing Comes From Feeling

The only way to heal is to feel…

-////-

Avoidance causes more suffering.

Numbing just makes it take longer to heal.

Feel the pain.

Experience the emotions.

You came here to heal, to grow and to feel. 

Yet the human has created so much distraction.

So many creams.

So many quick fixes.

But the only way to heal is to feel. 

You’ve got to feel it to heal it. 

Move through the emotions.

Move through the pain.

See the lessons.

See the guidance.

It is all here to teach you.

-M.

❤️‍🩹

Who’s your Friend

Walking into life with new perspectives…

Sometimes we wonder why we are unhappy with ourselves.

So we look back over the years to see what’s created this.

We see our friendships and relationships, or the choices we have made.

We start looking over how some people have treated us, and how we have allowed a lot of unkindness to step over the doorstep of our soul’s experience, and right into our circle of peace.

People will show you who they are.

They will literally tell you.

Sometimes in words, but other times with their actions.

It can takes years to really see who they really were.

It can also take years to see your own self.

Learning to have more kind friendships takes a lot of self-love.

It takes determination and commitment to self.

Learning that you deserve to be around people who lift you up, rather than put you down, seems like it is common sense.

Yet, sometimes we don’t realize these people are putting us down, until we take time away from everyone so we can look back and process over it all.

Looking over what people have said to us, how we feel when we are around them, and the choices we make when we are with them, are all key signs to pay attention to.

Having been through many layers of my own healing, I am really starting to learn how I FEEL matters.

Listening to my body, to my energy, to my spirit with so many different aspects of life, is beginning to make more and more sense for so many different reasons.

How do you feel when you are alone?

How do you feel in nature?

How do you feel around certain people?

Listen.

Pay attention.

It is all communicating with you.

💜

  • M.

The Sound of the Storm

The Sound of The Storm

On the harder days, I remember this day.

It reminds me of what I have gotten through.

Feeling the storms of my emotions, while getting my picture taken, not knowing what would come after.

Already working on dealing with so much trauma, and trying to survive, trying to keep my kids safe, though, it felt like there was danger coming.

Feelings erupting inside of me.

Feeling in a place of uncertainty, just as we tend to be, when in the middle of a storm.

After this shoot, I went for my daily walk and found my daughter was missing.

She was not where she was supposed to be, and when she knew I knew, she made it so I couldn’t call or text her.

It was a long weekend, trying to find her and get her home.

These are not stories I typically share on here, due to not wanting to over share, but sometimes I just need to release, for the healing, and to maybe help someone else.

Twenty six hours of not knowing where my daughter was, or if she would come home.

Twenty six hours of being in panic for her life and her wellbeing.

She finally returned home, and she was safe.

One more scar on my heart.

One more memory to remember how much I love her.

One more reason to show her more sensitivity and compassion.

This shoot really ended up representing more than Marina Shipova or I could have even imagined.

Life is always full of uncertainty.

We just have to muster the courage to keep going.

One step at a time.

One day at a time.

One moment at a time.

Find your peace.

Find your balance.

Find your strength.

You are capable of more than you know.

❤️‍🩹

.

.

.

strength #storm #parenting #life #stormsoflife #teens #love #herenow #itwillbeokay #youaresafe #modeling #magazine #photoshoot #lifeisprecious #youareatrongerthanyouthink