This image was created with my friend David. He wanted to do one for his fiancé. If you look close you can see the ring as the “o” of the “you” and the white of his ring finger where the ring usually lives. If you look even closer you can see that all the letters that he formed are cut out of pictures of the two of them.

He spoke of how it was a big part of their growth together to arrive at a point – after some frustrations – where they learned to completely accept each other. From the imperfections of their bodies to their human weaknesses and foibles, they accept the other.

I’ve always had a hard time with completely accepting myself. I want to be more, grow more, work towards some perceived future state where I will be everything I know I can be. But I’m continually reminded over the years that even more important than that growth is the ability to accept myself. There seems, for me, to be a balance between striving for a better self and acceptance of what is. Now acceptance doesn’t mean you have to like something – acceptance is not a judgment call. It is simply an acknowledgment of what is. And it is only by acknowledging what is that we can have a foundation on which to build.

That is the gift that David and his fiancé give each other. An acknowledgment that what is is enough.

Click here to see a portrait of David.