ROSE I 65 - I have found peace within myself.

Meet ROSE, she is another beautiful participant from my 40 over 40 special edition photo sessions.

Here’s a glimpse at her story.

Rose grew up in New York, up in the mountains with 9 other siblings; six brothers and three sisters. She is most proud of the fact that she is the only one in her family to go to college. She put herself through college in her early 40's… yes, in her 40’s! She is 65 years old, happily married, a professional woman, a mom to two wonderful children, and a grandmother.

I have noticed the majority of the participants I’ve spoken with have the same answer whenever I ask if their values have changed over time. Their answer is always yes; everyone’s values have changed and they now value something completely different. The answer is no different for Rose, she said she used to always be a self doubter. Now, she has found peace within herself; she values herself and feels confident.

I asked Rose what was something that happened in her life that had a significant impact in her life. She said, “My first marriage was not good. I was an abused woman and finally found the strength and courage to get out.”

I also asked if this was something I could share with everyone reading this and she responded, “Absolutely, I’ve spoken before to women who were in that situation and needed the strength to make the same decision. It took me 16 years to do it and maybe someone out there needs to hear that they are not alone. I have found that I can love myself for who I am. Sometimes God lets us go through things to make us stronger in the end.”

Her friends and family describe her as a strong and worthy person to know, I can say the same comment after meeting her.

In the future, she plans to continue to be the kind and generous person she has always been.

The myth she would like to bust about being over 40 is that “most of life's major moments are behind you,” this is so untrue. I’m right there with you on this one, Rose. She added, “life no matter what age, is always going to be magical to me.”

Her piece of advice to anyone is “Never let anyone tell you are insignificant.”

“Life no matter what age,

is always going to be magical to me.” ~Rose

Dear Rose, I hope these beautiful images of you remind you always of the strong and beautiful woman you are. I am so honored you allowed me to capture your beauty. Thank you for sharing with us a little bit about your story. You are beautiful inside and out.

Much love,

Tamara