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 💕

Happy International Women’s Day - I am Generation Equality

Happy International Women’s Day to all my lovely Lady followers. I come from a long line of strong, independent & confident women & I am happy to acknowledge their contribution. Us women need to lift each other up, to champion their successes & stand together.

I am Generation Equality: Realizing Women’s Rights

I previously blogged about the strong women in my family  , women who met life’s challenges head on & I am proud to call them mine.

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I have raised two strong daughters - both engineers - who have to stand their ground in a world that is still dominated by men.  There is still overt & covert sexism in the workplace that they have to call out.

The girls both mentor others in their career fields - raising standards by lifting others up ..

However this year I am championing the ordinary women we all are & who we all know because not everyone is destined for greatness but everyone deserves to be appreciated. 

Following a lifetime in education, I am championing the Mothers who do their best often in challenging circumstances - we all know the working ones rushing across the playground, several children in tow, lunch boxes hurriedly made between breakfasts & finding PE kits, homework supervised while they juggle supper, laundry,  clubs, shopping, & making cupcakes for school cake sales at midnight because that is when they found the scrunched up note in the bottom of the schoolbags. They are hugely under appreciated by all but they are the ones who keep the family going.

I am also championing the single Mothers that circumstances have left them as lone parents - they have the added financial stress of making ends meet while juggling way too many things; we know that their time is so stretched that they fall asleep on the sofa watching the news, they are torn between doing it all & finding a few minutes to themselves.

I am championing the ordinary Mother’s who had dreams of their own which could not be realised; many make sure that their children are free to dream & achieve loftier things - not held back by the social restraints of a generation ago.

I am championing all the ordinary mothers who are under appreciated & taken fore granted - there is still a generation of men who do not do their share, who still think of life in terms of men & women’s chores & have yet to realise that women do not need their permission or approval. These ordinary women still do most of the work & cooking at home as well as working; these women find their frustrations rising because they are unappreciated even in the 21st century.

I am championing the ordinary Mothers whose efforts are invisible to society & their family - the ones who are not appreciated for themselves, their talents & achievements. In the celebrity age, so many have the ideal image & many ordinary people fall short of these expectations. We forget that these celebs have a legion of helpers doing all the ordinary things that normal women have to add to their day. These ordinary women are the backbone of family life ...

So on this Women’s Day, straighten another women’s crown without telling the world it was crooked.

Celebrate & take stock of the successes of women - mothers, sisters, daughters by inspiring each other so that the ripples filter down to the next generation.

Why do we still have inequality &  how can we improve it for everyone? Don’t just think about the impact you have today but think about the impact you have on future generations ....

Thank you for stopping by, I look forward to your company & comments, 

Dee ~💕~