The sky is huge.
The water is blue.
The air is clear.
And my family is there.
It makes me breathe more deeply, love more clearly, and stretch myself more fully.
Situate yourself. There are 22. Here's where we'll start...
150 feet from Aunt Charlie's front door.
We didn't plan to get in, but they couldn't help themselves. I love this shot because they are the embodiment of what I felt. And it makes my insides sing that my River loves water like I do.
Carolien and I haven't seen each other since our grandpa's funeral 14 years ago because she is one lucky Dutch girl and lives in Amsterdam. I feel such a depth of home with her.
And bonus....look who else was there....my sister! The older we get, the more the three of us look alike - and very much like our Grandma Ida we never met.
And Riv met his match. They are several months apart, and played like brothers. His name is Hesston. Yes, really.
I hadn't seen Darin in years either. We three used to spend summers in the haymow. He told me about boners and I told him about periods. He taught me to take a joke and she taught me how to give generously. And here we find ourselves at 30-something. I adore them.
We knew we had precious little time, and like those summers, didn't waste it on small talk, but went instead straight to theology and identity and God and family and drugs and work and good music.
My favorite thing about this crew is that we dig right in. Everyone literally talks at once, and with conviction. And still no one worries when you take time to be quiet and introspective and listen too. When I am at my truest self, I am big in life and I fill up all the space inside myself and my friendships and my projects and my home. That's me being a Keim.
Thank you, my family and my state, for centering my soul and reminding me of where you belong inside me.