International Women’s Day

My sisters …. you are so loved, so strong, and so worthy.

Happy women’s day to all of my unstoppable sisters.

How many times have you been called a ‘good girl’? How many times have you been told to ‘be good’? If you are anything like me, you have been hearing words like these almost your entire life. Societally speaking, females should strive to be good, be kind, be pretty, and be pleasant. But as Laurel Thatcher Ulrich once stated “Well-behaved women seldom make history.” Now before we start talking about the incredible power and strength each of us empowered women harness within the very fibers of our being, let’s clarify that we don’t have to ‘go rogue’ to be taken seriously. We don’t have to abandon femininity and trample on our inherent gentleness. These things can go hand in hand. Goodness does not exclude strength, and a fierce sense of power does not negate a kind heart or a gentle soul. Respect and power go hand in hand. ‘Good girls’ can also be fierce warriors for themselves and those they love. As females, we have a gentle kind of power. Our gentleness is part of our strength and only half of our power. We have the power to soothe souls with our actions and heal hearts with our words. We are compassionate creatures with a unique ability to bring about change and understanding through dignity and grace. But our gentle nature is balanced by our fierce desire for righteousness, respect, and equality. We have a gift of great power. We have the power to create. The power to influence. And the power to defend. We will not stand idly by while a sister is wronged. We stand up for others in their time of need because we know when our time of weakness comes, we too will be supported by a sisterhood ready for battle. We demand respect but we strive to do so first with gentleness and grace rather than force and coercion. If however our gentleness and grace are disregarded, we harness that internal fire and we unleash the true potential of the fierce warrior housed within our hearts.

Be kind, be strong, be loved, be well, be you.