Thursday, March 8, 2012

Celebrating Women

I learn so much from tweets. If I hadn’t been on Twitter this morning, I wouldn’t have known it’s International Women’s Day and I would have missed out on writing a celebratory post.

The first women to come to mind, for me, as great ones are those who took what was conceived to be a man’s world and turned it to their own use, like:

Katharine Hepburn – who bent the old Studio system to her will.

Amelia Earhart – who had the cojones to adventure into the air and push the limits

Oprah Winfrey – the only woman to own her own network, I believe

Then there are the women entertainers who were outrageous, doing it their way and often re-inventing themselves: Lucille Ball, Cher, Madonna, Bette Midler and Cyndi Lauper. There are several younger ones who will inherit these slots and I’m anxiously watching them. I love and value the quality of having no fear to just “be.”

Many truly wonderful women have given themselves to the world, with kindness and grace:

Eleanor Roosevelt – who cared deeply for the under-privileged

Roslyn Carter – a rod of steel behind a gentle exterior

Oprah Winfrey – Another nod here for her incredible degree of philanthropy

Maya Angelou – intelligence with humility personified

I wish I had the intellectual wherewithal to speak of women from other countries with some conviction. Unfortunately, I know they are out there by the millions, but I haven’t followed any closely enough to comment.

The women who deserve the highest of honors though will go unmentioned today, for the most part, as they are the everyday women; who struggle to provide as single mothers, who reach for the cancer cure somewhere in a lab, who bring our meal to a diner table, who stretch their budgets to include giving to charities, who stop to help a stranger, who cuddle their children when they need it even though there are a million things to be done, who build a family out of nothing but sheer love, who struggle to overcome biases and still have an open heart and give constantly of themselves without tangible reward. They are everywhere; in every part of the world. Aren’t we lucky to be among them?

These things and so much more make me proud to be a woman.

6 comments:

  1. You mentioned some A+ women. i really like that you mentioned the unsung ones. The everyday women! Enjoyed your post. You did great, especially putting this together so quickly:)
    laura thomas

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  2. Thank you, Laura - I only wish I knew more about outstanding women from other countries. This has spurred me to make a project out of it. Next year, I'll be able to point a few truly international women. :-)

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  3. Kathy, great post. I loved reading it. I know that Heifer Project International has done a celebration of 10 international women for International Women's Day. That might be a place to start with information about international women. Never forget that there are international women right here in the USA who are working to make a difference in their own countries so there will be news stories based here about female activists from other countries. I often read the stories but don't always remember the names. My mind is slipping.

    Thank you again for your post.

    Cheers,

    Ardee-ann

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  4. Women. You got to love them! There's no punch line coming. Everyday should celebrate a woman of note!

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  5. Wonderful post Kathy! Love that woman power. :)

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  6. Please don't take this in the inappropriate way in which it is about to sound, but I LOVE strong women! I do. Mind you, being a gay man might have something to do with it (great, I probably just added to the stereotype), but women who hold the courage of their convictions top my list every single day. All the ladies you mentioned are just a few examples. Cheers to all of them! :)

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