Honouring The Women In Our Lives
Shades readers, today we are celebrating International Women’s Day. It is a day to celebrate all of our achievements but also a day to reflect on the women who have come before us and struggled so we could have opportunities in our time that they may not have had in theirs.
I am very reflective these days as I think about my mother who I lost almost ten years ago in 2009. I can’t even believe that it has been so long. Where does time go? Most days, I can hold the sadness and grief at bay like it is a car in the distance on the highway. Other days, it isn’t so easy. I think about the hardships she endured through her life for various reasons – Mummy had a gentility and a nobility about her that probably didn’t suit her time or her environment. She was kind and giving, traits which were sometimes taken advantage of but she never became cynical. She persevered against many odds, starting a teaching career in her late teens and retiring at the age of sixty as a principal. We had our difficulties, mostly when I was a teenager but she always made everything so easy for everyone, including me. She had a humility about her, which frustrated me when I was younger. I had a very upfront way of dealing with issues but she had a different way. She ‘stooped to conquer’ when faced with conflict and she would often get her way by doing so. Age and experience have made me appreciate her subtle yet immense strength. I wish I could tell her that now. When she got sick, I became a child again, wanted to wrap myself in the folds of her skirt and not come out. Since she left us, I have realized just how many things she was right about. I also know more than ever that I am me because of her. I shake my head sometimes, thinking she is probably laughing at me eating crow. My throat aches and my heart is heavy.
Today on International Women’s Day, I honour my mother. Take a moment to honour yours. Most of us wouldn’t be where we are without our mothers. Thanks for everything, Mummy.