Last week I was given the precious gift of freedom from WiFi and news headlines, everyday demands and distractions. It was only when I re-emerged that social media reminded me it was International Women’s Day, filling my feed with friends celebrating the multitude of wonder women in their lives. I suddenly realized that I hadn’t skipped a beat, honouring the occasion in tune with the theme, “balance for better.”
Unplugged and away, I had seized the opportunity to finally indulge in reading Michelle Obama’s “Becoming.” I was captivated by her story from the start (and struggled to extract myself for meals) as she led me on a journey that simultaneously encompassed light and laughter, gravity and grief. Through the pages, I was struck by the grounded, down-to-earth sense of humanity that permeated her words.
I was most moved when she talked about the hope and resilience of women who have gone before her, and how she is now making every effort to extend the same example to the next generation of girls. “When you’ve worked hard, and done well, and walked through that doorway of opportunity, you do not slam it shut behind you,” Michelle writes, “You reach back and you give other folks the same chances that helped you succeed.”
Striding in step with this hearth sister is a joy and a gift.
It got me thinking about the women who have uplifted, bolstered, and inspired me throughout my life. I was thankful to be spending time with my two favourites. My mother - a stalwart support, relentlessly cheerful, fearless, selfless, reliable, hard-working, ever gracious. My sister - an advocate for the education of girls everywhere, a space-holder, an encourager of the heart.
Before us came my grandmothers, and I am fortunate to have been close with both of them. Bonne Maman - always with a twinkle in her eye, a Belgian who fell in love with a Brit in WWII, immigrated to Canada, raised 5 children, and demonstrated constancy over the course of a 60+ year marriage. Grandma - lived by a no fuss-no muss motto, was whip smart, a committed mother and citizen who left behind a legacy through her volunteer work with the Girl Guides of Canada.
Each of these women, alongside countless others, have instilled in me a love of learning, a thirst for adventure, a mission to serve, an implicit trust in good, a zest for life, a capacity for compassion. I owe it to them to pay it forward to my nieces, girlfriends, and so many more women of the world. I am grateful that the month of March prompts us not to take our rights for granted, but to cherish the wisdom, beauty, and strength inherent in every one of us. Rupi Kaur sums it up best in her poem titled, “legacy:”
i stand
on the sacrifices
of a million women before me
thinking
what can i do
to make this mountain taller
so the women after me
can see farther
…
- Emily
