Love is all around us, always.

When I made the short film “Love Sense”, it was with the thought that love too often gets hijacked by romantic love and holidays like Valentine’s Day can leave many of us feeling lonely. It’s good to think about all the other ways we interact with love, every day.

Music credit: Adam Kane

#hersixwordstory, #lovesense, #feministvoice, #womenempowerment, #womensupportingwomen, #femaleempowerment, #girlpower, #feministarts, #feministartist #safeharborsofthehudson #newyorkstatecouncilonthearts

Hiding physical and emotional pain everyday.

Women hide so much, every day, in every way. Why are expectations so high for us to appear happy? Perhaps it costs too much to be honest and transparent.

Music credit: Adam Kane

#hersixwordstory, #feministvoice, #womenempowerment, #womensupportingwomen, #femaleempowerment, #girlpower, #feministarts, #feministartist #safeharborsofthehudson #newyorkstatecouncilonthearts

Watching my child suffer consumes me.

Motherhood is hard. For some it starts with conception, it’s not easy for everyone. Giving birth, caring for a baby through adulthood. When your child is suffering, whether they are young or grown, it can be all you think of, all you can focus on, all consuming.

Music credit: Jurrivh

#hersixwordstory, #feministvoice, #womenempowerment, #womensupportingwomen, #femaleempowerment, #girlpower, #feministarts, #feministartist #safeharborsofthehudson #newyorkstatecouncilonthearts

Love. Wonder. Chaos. Growth. Joy. Love.

I don’t know who gave me these six words for the project. I found them on the poster with all the other stories surrounding them. They speak to the year we have had.

#hersixwordstory, #feministvoice, #womenempowerment, #womensupportingwomen, #femaleempowerment, #girlpower, #feministarts, #feministartist #safeharborsofthehudson #newyorkstatecouncilonthearts

Free to live my own life

X marks the spot and symbolizes many things: a variable, a kiss, generosity, and freedom—claim yours.

Six words by Priscilia Abrev, Photos by Kathy O'Dowd. Music credit: Jon Batiste.

#hersixwordstory, #feministvoice, #womenempowerment, #womensupportingwomen, #femaleempowerment, #girlpower, #ladyboss, #feministarts, #feministartist #safeharborsofthehudson #newyorkstatecouncilonthearts

Everything seemed perfect! Then cancer hit.

These six words echo with the cruelty that many of us have experienced. On the surface things may seem sublime, while underneath there's a deeper, much more complicated story. With no priors and no symptoms, this young woman was diagnosed with Leukemia at the same time COVID hit. She was blindsided and went through the harsh and aggressive treatment for her illness all alone. She says "it has made me, my family, and my faith stronger than ever."

#hersixwordstory, #feministvoice, #womenempowerment, #womensupportingwomen, #femaleempowerment, #girlpower, #ladyboss, #feministarts, #feministartist #safeharborsofthehudson #newyorkstatecouncilonthearts

I can go high or low

When I read these six words that were submitted anonymously, I immediately felt they could be mine. The first thing it made me think of was that all too familiar slide into depression. Next, I thought of pettiness and how easy it is to go there. It also made me think of the neverending quest for the middle ground and wonder why it is so hard to find.

#hersixwordstory, #feministvoice, #womenempowerment, #womensupportingwomen, #femaleempowerment, #girlpower, #ladyboss, #feministarts, #feministartist #safeharborsofthehudson #newyorkstatecouncilonthearts

I’m lost between frightened and bold

Women struggle every day to manage their anxiety and assert themselves. They do amazing things and touch many people's lives along the way.

Music credit: Nina Simone

#hersixwordstory, #feministvoice, #womenempowerment, #womensupportingwomen, #femaleempowerment, #girlpower, #ladyboss, #feministarts, #feministartist #safeharborsofthehudson #newyorkstatecouncilonthearts #ninasimone #dontletmebemisunderstood

You have to be a badass

“You have to be a badass,” one of the many lessons I've learned from this project. I'm eternally grateful to all the women (over 120 of you so far) who have shared your stories, and looking forward to getting more.

Video credit Kim Fuchs

#hersixwordstory, #feministvoice, #womenempowerment, #womensupportingwomen, #femaleempowerment, #girlpower, #feministarts, #feministartist #mygirltemptations

I am happy, fun, and beautiful

When she saw me working on this project, my girl—my granddaughter Ella—asked me what it was about. This is the answer she gave me after I explained it to her and asked her for her six words. May she keep this story forever 💖

#hersixwordstory, #feministvoice, #womenempowerment, #womensupportingwomen, #femaleempowerment, #girlpower, #feministarts, #feministartist #mygirltemptations

Stuff negative feelings, always be grateful

Taught by her parents to never express any negative emotions, it was hard to process feelings of loss and anger when her mother died at a young age. Yet, she also left her a legacy of gratitude that has never wavered. It has helped her navigate the difficulties in life and find happiness doing what she wants to do, instead of what she should do.

Six words and photos provided by Kathleen McElduff Lyons

#hersixwordstory, #feministvoice, #womenempowerment, #womensupportingwomen, #femaleempowerment, #girlpower, #feministarts, #feministartist

I will be my own compass

As we lose those we have loved, we have no choice but to look inward for strength.

The following poem was written by Alison MacAvery as a follow up to her six word story: “I will be my own compass.”

Sometimes Death is a firestorm of events.  
White jackets, strange language, sirens and flashing lights.  

Sometimes Death is like the steadiness of a quiet breeze.  
It is expected but always unexpected.  

It was my turn to sit in the chair.   
That chair next to the casket.  

I was a widow now and I had no plan.  
There is never any plan.  

The sobbing turned me inside out 
Even the comfort of our home faded.   

The changing of the seasons became my survivor’s route.
It bought me time to realize I was now in charge of myself.  

Music credit Jeff MacAvery: https://youtu.be/2xSuBJF-oTA

#hersixwordstory, #feministvoice, #womenempowerment, #womensupportingwomen, #femaleempowerment, #girlpower, #feministarts, #feministartist

Lonely constrained human with wild imagination

Boredom and drudgery go hand-in-hand with providing a safe and comforting environment. How we may long to spread our wings and fly away. Instead, we provide the ground beneath the wings of the ones we love.

Music credit Adam Kane @https://soundcloud.com/mooorooo

Dancing in the dark with anxiety

She lives with anxiety about her family; will they be okay? It feels helpless, watching things unfold that you can’t control. She tries not to go there and puts it in a deep, dark place.

There is no end to love

There is no end to grief either. It stays with you forever and changes you in ways that you may have never imagined. (Photo provided by Leigh Gage)

From harsh beginnings, strength, faith, love

We meet people every day, they all have a story—some more inspirational and amazing than we would ever imagine.

My family is not my own

This six word story, “My family is not my own,” was submitted anonymously. It is not only a catalyst for questions and conjecture, but for longing and sadness. Recently, I was sent a link to this very moving project, “Six Word Adoption Memoir.” I believe it sheds light on the six words I received, and I am honored to share it with you here.

#hersixwordstory, #feministvoice, #womenempowerment, #womensupportingwomen, #femaleempowerment, #girlpower, #feministarts, #feministartist, #safeharborsofthehudson #6WAM 2017

My talents and passions were belittled

The process of finding your six words can take you on a journey that sums up your story, or leads you to a bigger one. These six words were a catalyst for the beautifully haunting and emotionally charged sonnet that follows:

After Tim

by Amy MacAvery

I.

Prologue

With great guilt of survivorship, I grieve.

Our parents tread upon pain unnerved.

Siblings can’t be expected to believe,   

that such a fate is theirs and is deserved.

Left without your wide smile and soft brown eyes,

I search for us in what remains of faith.

Our impish team no longer occupies,

as Irish twins, that safe and sacred space.

In the struggle to nullify the numb

one brother turns to studious pursuits.

Another plays piano and the drums,

the youngest boy in deafness absolute.

Without them I retreated into magic,

hidden beneath the radar of the tragic.

II

The Band

My mom and dad gravely paved the way,

where, family and friends turned their heads.

Upheaval did not discourage or dissuade,

them from acceptance as opposed to dread.

Free spirits warmly welcomed in our home,

their precious lively music loudly played.

Full ashtrays, empty beer cans in each room

drums, piano and guitars infused the days.

A steady stream came by to join the band,

all were roused to join in the serenade.

Around me hippies took their lyric stand,

as nights sweet darkness began to fade.

Truth told, I could have used some quiet time,

to dream, to sleep, to write, to rhyme.

III.

Unseen

Words across a page assert their power,

cocooned with pen and paper in my room.

Irked by the jam but not the inky hour,

pen in hand, eager words pierce the gloom.

Below masculine affinities did flourish,

while metaphor in prose or poetry

was unseen and overtly undernourished,  

like wild violets, mistaken for weeds.

Not wanted as a singer in the band.

Nor counter cast on an accepted stage.

Not strong enough to know to make a stand,

though, I was loved, my passions lacked for praise.

The ever-present chorus’s performance

Was merry but I craved for my own audience.

IV.

Aftermath

To teach, to write, to learn humanities,

goals thwarted or reshaped by biased minds.

Left me formless without ambitious seeds,

stunted amid this family resigned.

I drifted in a daze through school and life, 

no drive to force a confrontation.

Nothing at all seemed worth the strife,

daily lies to divert humiliation.

The mystery of my misery was discussed,

but lost in the family’s unique aura.

My ennui was mistaken for mistrust,

so unseen was the relentless trauma.

Despite all, my tender core persevered

found light within their love to reappear.

V.

Epilogue

Boundaries set between us strong but porous.

The band played on with its familiar weight.

The crowd aged and lost some of its purchase

and I more nimble, ably faced my fate.

Whirlpools spun, gave life to timeless phases,

buried the writer, created strength alee.

Set limits, met success, and corporate praises,

gave birth which softened and enlightened me.

Decades sweep life from parents and from brothers,

music can’t out-sing death or stop the years.

Away from the family fled the scholar,

I write the deaf son’s stories, shed his tears.

Years later, comes the sentient conclusion,

perfect families are but an illusion.

#hersixwordstory, #feministvoice, #womenempowerment, #womensupportingwomen, #femaleempowerment, #girlpower, #feministarts, #feministartist, #safeharborsofthehudson

Living life fully, but too analytically

“Living life fully, but too analytically.” Mother, daughter, friend, wife, colleague, and caregiver, how many people are you responsible for? Do you ever wish you could be more carefree and stop thinking and analyzing everything?

#hersixwordstory, #feministvoice, #womenempowerment, #womensupportingwomen, #femaleempowerment, #girlpower, #ladyboss, #feministarts, #feministartist #safeharborsofthehudson #womenshistorymonth #internationalwomensday #rocklandcommunitycollege

My presence causes souls to stir

“My presence causes souls to stir." How do we think others see us? What does it take to be confident enough to make this claim? When have you felt this in your life? Was there ever a moment?

#hersixwordstory, #feministvoice, #womenempowerment, #womensupportingwomen, #femaleempowerment, #girlpower, #ladyboss, #feministarts, #feministartist #safeharborsofthehudson #womenshistorymonth #internationalwomensday #rocklandcommunitycollege