Please tell her.......

Today is International Women's Day today.....and it is hitting a little harder today as I think of so much.....Gosh the world is spinning in all that can happen if you are female, horrifying doesn't even begin to touch it.....and the challenges are endless....exploitation and beyond.......but beyond all of that, and there is so much.......this chapter, more than any of the other chapters, has shown me the power that lies in women......just the fierce and massive power.......the power to endure......the power to rise above their circumstance in EVERY single way......the fierce power that lies within......and it is just inspiring......I have written before about my challenge with embracing "feminism" in the past......once upon a time if you will;-)......wrestling with what that meant, thinking that embracing that notion negated the role I was embracing, and loved, as a devoted wife and mother, and well......now I know that just wasn't true.....I used to look at women that fiercely championed other women, and wondered "are they too much".....is that notion "too much"......will people think that is TOO much.........and now I know so clearly it is NOT ENOUGH......women carry an enormous weight in this world, in all the senses of what that means......and being championed is the least of what can be done to support that! When I think of all the stories I have walked in to date, in my coaching alone, never mind my female friendships, or the women in my family.......the herculean efforts that I have seen play out in their lives........the roles they have had to step in and uphold.....the heartache they have had to endure.......the shock, betrayal, pain, suffering.........mountains to climb........just so many variations of enormous feats of great strength, grit, dignity, and grace......and well I am disappointed in the version of me that believed that we should minimize all that business ;-) I just didn't know.......but NOW I DO!!!!!! I am proudly, boldly, and so completely a champion of women! Period.......and so honored to stand among them......linking arms.....boldly owning our truth.....and maybe during a time such as this, it is even more important than it has ever been.......and helping our daughters believe that they are powerful, and can rise above what tries to diminish them in any way that shows up.....I am fiercely proud to be a woman, and have the distinct pleasure and honor to champion other women! Watching women win is my favorite, but more than that is watching their belief in what they are worth come into focus, nothing like it.....we are not just mothers and wives......we are whole beings......that deserve to have our needs met.......deserve to have a say in our own lives.....deserve to be seen and heard.....and loved well.......respected as much as anybody else......rising above traditional gender roles.....and being encouraged to do whatever it is that lights our souls up......and be supported by those that love us in our lives, and I have seen too many women damaged by not realizing that, or worse yet not having the people in their lives know that......all of their faces spinning in my mind this morning! So if you have a fierce and amazing woman in your life, PLEASE tell her today, PLEASE:) Celebrating women is not a bashing of men.....the two are not in line, not linked in any way......it is simply the acknowledgement of the unique role the women in this world play! And celebrating that is a beautiful thing! Happy International Women's Day to all you bada$$ women! I SEE YOU, APPLAUD YOU, CELEBRATE YOU, LOVE YOU! Strong women, may we know them, be them, and raise them! Amen:) xoxox