Here’s to Women!

From my journal: March 6, 1986 Redondo Beach, California

“Wish I could see her more often and that we lived closer. She’s so down-to-earth, fun to be around, honest, humorous and expressive…Three thousand miles is a very long way away.”

Although I wrote that about my mom more than 35 years ago, I still feel the same now.  She’s the first woman to have a lasting impact on my thoughts, feelings, and aspirations. How fortunate I have been to have her and so many incredible women in my life! My sister, grandmother, sisters-in-law, aunts, nieces, cousins, teachers, co-workers, bosses, neighbors, and friends…each one has touched my heart in a myriad of ways.  Having a day dedicated to all women around the globe reminds me to send out a prayer of thanks and wish all a Happy International Women’s Day!!

Beginning in the early 1900s, every March 8th, countries world-wide celebrate this special day to honor women’s achievements and to promote gender equality. “Break the Bias” is this year’s theme, which spotlights current societal contributions and the women behind them. There as many ways to celebrate this holiday as there are amazing women to honor!  You can wear purple as it has been associated with the Suffragist Movement since the turn of the 20^th century.  You can find out more about women who have changed history like Mary Seacole, Shelia Michaels and Akiko Yosano and share what you learn with others. You can tell any woman hero you know, why you consider her one!  You can shower the women in your circle and family with kind words and hugs!  And you can stand and speak up for what you believe in and issues that are important to you. Conversations go a long way in raising awareness and promoting change.

In celebration of International Women’s Day this year, I’d like to share with you some inspirational, some wise, and some humorous quotes about “us” – enjoy!

The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me. –Ayn Rand

The woman who follows the crowd will usually go no further than the crowd. The woman who walks alone is likely to find herself in places no one has ever been before. –Albert Einstein

“Women will have achieved true equality when men share with them the responsibility of bringing up the next generation.” -Ruth Bader Ginsburg

The story of women’s struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist, nor to any one organization, but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights. -Gloria Steinem

You educate a man; you educate a man. You educate a woman; you educate a generation. -Brigham Young

Each time a woman stands up for herself, she stands up for all women. -Maya Angelou

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in life, it’s the power of using your voice. -Michelle Obama

Together we can do great things. –Mother Teresa

Women are the largest untapped reservoir of talent in the world. -Hillary Clinton

It isn’t where you came from, it’s where you’re going that counts. -Ella Fitzgerald

Keep your heels, head, and standards high. -CoCo Chanel

The age of a woman doesn’t mean a thing. The best tunes ae played on the oldest fiddles. -Ralph Waldo Emerson

I can hear the roar of a woman’s silence. -Thomas Sankara

It was we, the people; not we, the white male citizens;…but we, the whole people, who formed the Union…men, their rights and nothing more; women, their rights and nothing less. -Susan B. Anthony

Above all, be the heroine of your life, not a victim. -Nora Ephron

I never dreamed of success, I worked for it. – Estee Lauder

What would men be without women? Scarce, sir…mighty scarce. -Mark Twain

Arrange whatever pieces come your way. -Virginia Woolfe

If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman. -Margaret Thatcher

Women who seek to be equal to men lack ambition. -Marilyn Monroe

The thing women have yet to learn is nobody gives you power. You just take it. -Roseanne Barr

A seasoned woman is spicy. She has been marinated in life experiences. The seasoned woman knows who she is. She could be any of us, as long as she is committed to living fully and passionately in the second half of her life, despite failures and false starts. -Gail Sheey

The fastest way to change society is to mobilize the women of the world. -Charles Malik

Define success on your own terms, achieve it by your own rules, and build a life you’re proud to live. -Anne Sweeney

Feminism isn’t about making women stronger. Women are already strong. It’s about changing the way the world perceives that strength. -G.D. Anderson

You don’t have to be anti-man to be pro-woman. -Jane Galvin Lewis

Men are taught to apologize for their weaknesses, women for their strengths. -Lois Wyse

The most beautiful thing a woman can wear is confidence. -Unknown

“What’s your favorite position?’ “CEO.” – Lauren Conrad

Freedom cannot be achieved unless women have been emancipated from all forms of oppression. -Nelson Mandela

Little girls with dreams become women with a vision. -Unknown

Here’s to strong women: may we know them, may we be them, may we raise them. -Unknown