Celebrating the women in my life …

There is something really special about women who celebrate & support other women - the band of sisters who look out for each other, who understand each others roles & respect boundaries that exist between women. 

I believe that our mitochondrial dna  (the special bond passed down the direct female, unchanged) connects us to our direct line in a way that is very unique. 

I was incredibly close to my maternal grandmother & her sister Ivy, my great aunt. They just ‘got me’ & celebrated ‘me as me’which enabled me to develop uniquely. 

I did not know my great grandmother personally as she passed before I was born but through my grandmother, I knew stories of her & loved her through her daughter & grand daughter (my mother) 

4 Generations of my line together at the daughters first Christmas 

My own mother was a feisty, strong woman who was born in South Africa but spent her teenage years in the Rhodesia's where she married & spent her early married life with children born over several countries before returning to her birth place. She adapted to all those environments while raising babies in some fairly remote places. 

These strong women in my family all faced challenges head on, their resilience gave us the reassurance that they were in control of things even if they didn’t feel it themselves. I felt their love in everything they did, they did not have to declare it as is the norm now ... 

My daughters have opportunities that came with the enlightenment of their time & the little granddaughter will have opportunities unique to her generation that we cannot even think of yet. They are generation equality 

Each of us are different; my deep connection to my line is probably because I moved from my birth continent & so that connection is the essence of your being; some people are just more connected … 

I inherited from both my grandparents sisters - Aunt Ivy gifted me a treasured ring & my Aunt Lizzie left me her sewing machine. Both these great aunts were very special & their thoughtful inheritance set the pattern for my life long love of sewing & appreciation of unique things.  

These strong women could stand alone but were very much part of their families - in some ways pioneers for women’s rights;  I miss their unconditional love & guidance   … 

My close band of friends - many of us now orphans without parents - draw near & look out for each other. We hold space & hold each other up when health crisis casts a shadow over our lives; when we are confused by traditions we didn’t grow up with on another continent, when we need to find a shoulder to rest our weary head on or gather at a table to make sense of things we don’t understand. My band of women are a mixed bunch - some wear their hearts on their sleeves, some are more reserved, some far, some near, some old, all with their own talents, they show love in their own ways. 

These precious women are the ones I celebrate because life is heavy at times even for those who carry it well. Life & our roles in life change constantly but the love should always be there ... 

Strong women - may we know them, may we raise them, may we be them … 

Thank you for stopping by, 

Dee 💕