“Old Love” slide show

From the “Old Love” worship service on Sunday, February 10, 2019:

Photographer Jade Beall writes (in a Facebook posted dated January 21, 2019),

Our western culture tells us that it is shameful, ugly and even gross to grow into an Elder.

Friends, this narrative couldn’t be further from the truth …

… growing wise is a miracle and privilege! Elders are evermore human and many want to feel beautiful and sexy and intimate!

Imagine if movies and shows and media talked with the deepest respect about the skin of elders and the concept of elders being passionate and thriving humans?

What if we cried with tears of wondrous joy when we gazed upon the map of wrinkles threading the stories of their lives instead of offering them surgery and shame?

What if we had been taught that … wrinkles and shape shifted skin [were] … a badge of exquisiteness?

Jade’s words – and the gorgeous photographs that accompanied them – inspired much of today’s service. And I decided that we need to celebrate aging bodies and love and a lifelong sexuality not only just in word and theory, but also with images and song.

So, with special thanks to Hannah Nelson for helping me collect pictures, and my spouse Graham for slide show production, I offer you this visual presentation that includes some of Jade Beall’s photographs, as well as many others that celebrate old love and beautiful aged bodies in many forms.

Music credit: “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You” (Crewe / Gaudio), sung by Lauryn Hill (from the album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill)