On Monday night, I opened a package that I found on my doorstep. It was a plain CD with a simple “thank you” written on the outside. What I watched has to be the most incredible thank you I’ve ever received. I’m speechless.
I’m in tears trying to find the words. I kept this video to myself since Monday night—treasuring this special gift. And yet I know this beautiful gift is meant to be shared. So with much honor, I share the video with all of you—a video that has given my wings more strength to keep soaring—more strength than these women will ever know.
Much love,
Me Ra (and Brian too! :))
p.s. I also want to thank the SOAR! Partners, each one of you. You believed in me when I came to you with the SOAR! Vision, and look at all the women we’ve encouraged. Thank you for trusting me with your names and reputations.
p.s.s. See you all tonight at the Seattle Sony Style store! We start at 6pm! My parents and grandparents are even coming, and those are four people you MUST meet. See you soon!
Wow! How awesome is that!! So, so special. I want you to know that there are others of us out here too who are thankful for your generosity – who are inspired to keep reaching for our dreams because of the Soar contest, your blog and your positive energy. I only recently found the blog – back in late November. And I didn’t submit a video because it just wasn’t quite the right moment for me. But I have been following along. And it’s so wonderful to read about this amazing community of women just like me with energy and dreams and passion… and to have you organizing this movement of sharing and positive energy. So… thank you from a Soar Supporter and Follower too! I may not have submitted a video but I do believe I can Soar this year too and will be following along with the three inspiring scholarship recipients on their journey!
wow….this is wonderful, although i was not part of the video, i want to add a big thank-you too……let’s all SOAR this year
Wow. What a beautiful tribute MeRa….I can only imagine how that must have made you feel…Here’s proof that you ‘get’ what you ‘give’…So many of us are ‘here’ today thanks to your guidance (whether it be technical, business, or personal)…So, although I wasn’t part of the video…I too want to THANK YOU. Love to you and Brian.
not enough ppl say thank you these days….this is so special!!!!!!!!!
Awesome – you & Brian are truly special….
What a really special gift to you Mera and I want to add to that, THANK YOU!
I just want to encourage the Soar Sisters to find a way somehow to attend one of Mera’s Confidence workshops. I attend this last weekend and it hard to put into words what the experience was like. It was a women’s retreat, art fest, technical session, and inspirational event all rolled into one. If you think you love Mera and Brian from the blog wait till you meet them in person. They are so real and giving. I made new friends that love doing what I love to do, photography and now we can continue to support one another. I feel like the workshop really filled in a lot of holes for me. Save your money, beg your husbands, if there is a workshop anywhere near you, go! I had to make the decision whether to buy a new lens or go to the workshop and I am so glad I went to the workshop. What good is a new lens if I can’t shoot in manuel. So now to save for the lens. The workshop will make this Soar journey even more powerful for me.
So thank you to Mera and Brian for your commitment to empowering women!
WOW – what an amazing job you all did – this was so beautiful, so heartfelt and so genuine.
I missed out on participating, but want to thank you guys from the bottom of my heart for your hard work on SOAR!
Great job ladies! It is a beautiful tribute!!!!!
[…] a gratitude video for MeRa and Brian showing them our gratitude. MeRa posted it on her blog today I hope you will check it out. MeRa and Brian do so much in the photography community to […]
I am totally crying watching the video.. how touching and perfect. I wish I had known about everyone getting together and doing this, I would have loved to have been a part of the appreciation!! (There must be a forum or something I am missing where everyone chats?) I will continue to SOAR! and I am bringing my community with me! Thank You, Me Ra Koh! You reminded me that not only is it OK to believe in myself, my tools for success are as close as myself.
Courtney
What a beautiful BEAUTIFUL tribute from such an amazing group of women. Hooray! Attending the confidence workshop last June was definitely a highlight of my 2009. I still have moments when I can’t believe I’m shooting in manual! 🙂
I didn’t make it into the video (darn)! but want to echo the sentiment! Thank you Mera & Brian. Thank you for showing me that passion can be livelihood and livelihood can be passion! LOVES!!!
A huge THANK YOU to MELISSA JORDAN for her thoughtfulness and generosity in putting the gratitude project for MeRa and Brain into motion and giving it WINGS! Thank you for your time and effort Mellissa! You did an amazing job! Melissa@melissajordanphotography.com
MeRa and Brain- May this little video of appreciation build you up and give you just a little glimmer of what you both mean to all of us. Reflected in the video are only a handful of the women who adore you…there are surely countless more. I really don’t think the full scope of appreciation and gratitude can or ever will ever be able to be fully captured. May all of us SOAR SISTERS reflect our love for you by pursuing our dreams on day at a time. xoxoxox
Ditto Catina! I’ve been following you for about a year. I stumbled on you accidently and immediately bought your DVD’s. It’s because of you and Brian that I bought my first DSLR. You both have been a force in my life to get off my butt and takes some pictures 😉
Thank you Me Ra and Brian.
me ra, you and brian have dug yourselves deep into our hearts. you seriously have no idea the impact you’ve made on each and every one of our lives.
gosh, i’m in tears …
you are beautiful people who have been given incredible gifts. everything you’ve been through has been, and continues to be … a gift to all of us. you’ve had a call on your life and you are fulfilling it to the utmost. i sincerely thank God for both of you …
warm love and appreciation … tracie
Me Ra and all the SOAR sistas – we are proud to be a part of your gracious, appreciative, and wise community. For sure, gratitude ignites the flame of wise feminine leadership – in us all! Watching your video and reading your comments we feel this circle of strong women. Thank you.
Beautifully done…just wish I had been able to participate in this video, because I thank you with all my heart for encouraging me to step out of my comfort zone and just take the leap on to better and brighter things…for encouraging all of us to SOAR!
A great big thank you from deep in my heart to yours,
Susan Reynolds,
Orangevale, CA
wow! how incredibly genuine and heartfelt. I wish you, Me Ra and Brian, cont success and happiness in all that you set out to do. Thank you for encouraging us all and inspiring us in so many ways.
Thank you Me Ra and Brian for helping me believe in myself. What a wonderful video. I knew about it when I was at the conference and I couldn’t wait for you to see it. You and Brian are truely amazing people, and have touched so many of us. Thanks to Melisa for her thoughtfulness and putting this video together. She is a total sweetheart!!!
absolutely precious. good job ladies and yay! Me Ra and Brian-you deserve it!
So many things I wanted to say, not surprisingly, all echoed in the lovely sentiments above. Kimberlyn took the words out of my mouth in regards to thanking Melissa Jordon for all of her hard work on this project. Melissa, BEAUTIFUL idea and finished DVD! For those of you wondering where to find SOAR inspired communication: SOAR home page (soon to be Forum) and SOAR sisters on Facebook. Thanks again, from the bottom of my heart, Me Ra and Brian!!!
Yes, thank you again for motivating me through Soar. And for putting yourself out on the line; I’m sorry some people reacted in a spirit of meanness and anger. Hopefully the voices of those with gratitude will far out weigh the negatives from doing this inspiring project.
Looking forward to being able to let you know the moment I set flight 🙂
To those of you that wish you were involved in the video, I’m so sorry. I tried to make this as public as possible without Me Ra finding out about it. I know that there are so many more people with hearts filled with gratitude, I wish all of us could have been on this video, how amazing would that have been!?
Me Ra- You totally deserve this! We ? you!
Oh no! The question mark up there is supposed to be a heart! We heart you, not question mark you!!! 🙂
MeRa and Brian, You two totally deserve this I am so glad I could be a part of it. You inspire and empower women everyday! I will see you tonight at the Sony store takin a little road trip down there 🙂
Melissa Jordan did such a great job on this.
Oh, what an awesome outpouring of love and gratitude. To feel that so deeply is incredibly powerful. The lives that you’ve touched–and impacted so profoundly through your work each day–is breathtaking.
You are so, so loved. And you, Me Ra (and Brian), are worthy of all these gifts and so many more.
MeRa, those hearts I used were big hugs for you. I just want to reiterate what I said on the video one more time… You ABSOLUTELY inspire me beyond words and you truly are loved and appreciated.
I had been praying about a way to do something for you when I read Melissa’s post on FB about this. Thank you Melissa for an incredible execution of an amazing gift for a beyond deserving person.
I look forward to the day I actually get to meet you and give you a big hug in person!
Thanks again.
What a great idea, so cool!
I echo what everyone has written and send you both over a huge thank you & hug for everything you’ve giving to me and all the amazing people you’ve touched through the years.
Wow, what a beautiful gift from the SOAR gals. I’m sure this will be cherished for a long time. You and Brian are so incredibly generous with your time, your hearts and your knowledge. You are so loved by many and deserve nothing but the best.
so sweet! great job too all of those who participated. so thoughtful!
mera/brian, you two are so appreciated. remember this before you ever give ear to anything negative. this is what’s true. this community is so giving because YOU guys have created it that way….modeled it. this is how we know. 🙂
Amazing video and I can only imagine how that lifted your spirits.
I personally thank you as well for all you have done, for me, for others, for your family and for our profession. You are a true blessing!
Keep rockin’ sister!
Jen 😉
I was so happy when Melissa came up with this idea! She did a fablous job and Mera you deserve this!! Know that we support you 120%!!!!
XOXO Jenessa
holy moses! What a stunning idea. Out of the box and bursting out of the heart for sure…MeRa since my mom showed me the Tacoma News Tribune article about you in 2007 and I signed up for your workshop my business, my confidence have blossomed. And some of the best photographer friends this old BMXer mom could ever hope to have met, I met in part due to you and Brian’s willingness to lead, and dare to care more. Did I mention I got a passport today to shoot my first international wedding (Puerto Vallerta)!….you guys are something ELSE!! 🙂
Wow! Ladies, this was a beautiful tribute to a beautiful couple. What a wonderfully warm and loving way to say thank you to them both. There is always room in this world for such gratitude!
What an incredible video. It brought tears to my eyes, so I can only imagine what it did for you. You’re doing amazing things for a lot of women. Thank You! =)
Me Ra (& Brian),
THANK YOU!!!! Thank you for sharing the video, but also thank you for giving me the push I needed to help me SOAR!!! I cannot wait for the next flight.
THANK YOU!!!
I’m just catching up now (couldn’t get it to play earlier) – how wonderful to see all your faces again in such a generous gift. Whether you made it into this video or not your kindness and gratitude is so appreciated over here…and makes those of us involved in providing direction and offers want to give you even more.
Keep reading everyone. Building a business takes time, hard work, lots of challenges & tears and can also be a lot of laughter especially if done with a gang. What a great gang this is!