Big Sky Yoga Retreats

A year ago I met and photographed with some very special women. It was the Cowgirl versus Cancer Retreat put on by Big Sky Yoga Retreats every summer.  It was there that I met Mary Ann Wasil and captured some of her inspiring moments in Montana.  I’m proud to be a part of this project and the big hearted work that Margaret does.

Life is too short! Mary Ann Wasil passed on after a valiant fight against breast cancer. Mary was the Founder and CEO of Get in Touch Foundation.  Now her daughter Betsy Nilan has taken over her mother’s position.

Mary Ann so loved her experience here in Montana that she took it back to her family in Connecticut. This week her three children Mary, Betsy and Eddy visited Montana to walk in the foot steps of their Mother. I met up with them at Montana Horse Sense ranch in Bozeman. Janice and Ron hosted them for a very special evening with the horse that their Mother loved. With loving reflection upon their Mother the three spread Mary Ann’s ashes under a dramatic sky and toasted her with Pink Champagne!

The valley was graced with a beautiful double rainbow. Tibetans view this as a sign of a soul liberating this mortal realm and the finish of the cycle of karmic rebirth.

Here’s to Mary Ann! May your eternal soul be liberated and free.

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Every year at this time I team up with Big Sky Yoga Retreats to do something really special for breast cancer survivors.  It was such a pleasure to photograph with these 8 amazing and lovely women! Many thanks to the Double T River Ranch, Kate Huston, Tara, Henry and Mollie and their wonderful horses.  Gratitude, most especially to my dear friends Margaret and David Vap who have created and conceived of this gift retreat.  And, to Jessica Lechner who shared her voice and the music of her soul with all of us.

It was quite the party!  Lot’s love, joy, tears, and ….. dancing!

As I photographed with these souls, I witnessed the strength and authenticity that these cancer survivors own.  They own it.  They have been down a dark road of facing their own mortality and emerged with a new lease, knowing that the life that we have does not last forever, it is temporal.  It was such a heart opening experience.  My prayers are for their continued good health and most importantly JOY, JOY, JOY in every day we have!

Oh… yes… a special note of thanks to these remarkable horse spirits that show such loving kindness.  I witnessed the love and compassion that horses have within them for these women.  See for yourself in the images that follow.