How Women Empower Women

The stars must have been aligned today when I turned on my car radio. My favorite XM station (Siriusly Sinatra) had a special guest host, Judy Collins, who was playing her favorite Frank tunes for an entire hour.

women

Collins is more than qualified to talk about Sinatra’s unique phrasing and impeccable timing because, as she explained, she learned a lot from his techniques and applied them to her own singing voice, helping to gain even more popularity in her own long successful music career. She continues to this day to capture the hearts of audiences with her unique brand of music.

I’ve always loved Judy Collins. She and Joni Mitchell captured my heart in the 1960’s with their lyrical voices and dedication to social causes. Both strong women, they influenced me early on to become an involved citizen of the world.

Katharine Hepburn. Golda Meir. Eleanor Roosevelt. Jane Pauley. Gloria Steinem.

They were two of my role models. Two women empowering others through words and music and embodying the very essence of what a woman is capable of doing.

Betty Friedan. Harper Lee. Marlo Thomas. Jane Austen. Mary Tyler Moore. Edith Wharton.

The lists of women I offer in this post illustrate those who were influential during my formative years. They made an impact on me and my view of the possibilities of what women can achieve. Each one is strong, a vibrant force who contributed their talents to enrich our world. They knowingly, or unknowingly, paved the way for future generations of women to do the same.

Bella Abzug. Shirley Chisholm. Helen Keller. Carole King. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

Today, I continue to embrace strong and intelligent women who inspire and empower me on my journey for personal growth. Being over fifty doesn’t mean it’s time to close up shop. On the contrary. It’s a time to stretch our minds and follow our passions by using our innate abilities to express what we believe in.

Emily Dickinson. Marie Curie. Ella Fitzgerald. Ingrid Bergman. Julia Child. Indira Gandhi.

Whether it’s a long phone call with a friend, an online conversation with fellow writers, or a conference for women, I feel blessed when I can spend time with women who make a difference in my life.

We have a growing number of opportunities available to us to learn and grow, to be inspired by one another by using our curiosity about the world to learn more about ourselves.

Women

Three of the speakers for the upcoming PA Conference for Women: (L to R) Jane Pauley, Robin Roberts and Diane Keaton

So I was thrilled to learn about an upcoming event, The Pennsylvania Conference for Women, taking place in Philadelphia on October 16. It promises to deliver inspiration and information, offering opportunities for business networking, and a chance to listen to a host of speakers that includes three who are near and dear to my heart - Jane Pauley, Robin Roberts and Diane Keaton.

Women empowering women. Women inspiring women. Women supporting and encouraging women. It doesn’t get much better than that.

NOTE: I loved learning that author Gail Sheehy retweeted this post!

— PA Conf for Women (@PennWomen) October 4, 2014

OTHER POSTS YOU MIGHT ENJOY:

Life Lessons On The Occasion Of My Son's 21st Birthday: Our Journeys Are Unique To Each Of Us

Once upon a time there was a little girl who wanted to grow up and have a family of her own.  She dreamed of meeting a knight in shining armor that would sweep her off her feet and take her away to live happily ever after.

S-c-r-a-t-c-h.

Living with MS and still keeping dreams alive

Once upon a time there was a little girl who loved to read.  She loved reading about strong-minded, resolute women who were making headlines, like Gloria Steinem and Bella Abzug.  She thought it’d be cool to someday burn her training bra.  But she was too young and naïve at the time, so she continued to dream about her knight in shining armor and having a family.  Would the knight be willing to do housework?

C-r-o-s-s-o-u-t.

Once upon a time, before MS

Once upon a time there was a little girl who wanted to live a long and happy life. She dreamed of someday marrying her Prince Charming and, together, they’d have a happy and healthy child.  She loved to write, and always enjoyed helping others in need.  She always knew that somehow she wanted to find a perfect balance between her family life and a life filled with passion.

Bingo.

But, alas, not all little girls’ dreams come true.  Life simply doesn’t work that way.  As John Lennon famously wrote, “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.”

So far, my life lessons were:

Life (and dreams) after MS

But life has a mind of its own, and sometimes we learn harsh yet valuable lessons.  John Lennon was right.  What we envision for ourselves and what life hands us are two different things.

 

When I finally became blissfully pregnant for a third time, it was the charm.  Two weeks shy of nine months, I gave birth to a beautiful, healthy little boy.

Dreams do come true for those with MS: A son's blessing

Dreams do come true for those with MS: A son's blessing

My son has been a blessing to me every day of his life.

The life I envisioned for myself so long ago was finally beginning to unfold.

What my son has taught me about life

Today is my son’s 21st birthday, and he is the whole reason I’m writing this post.  I wrote it because I want him to understand that no matter what I learned in my childhood – the joys, frustrations, loves and heartaches, mine is a different road than the one he is traveling.

He has his own journey.

I want him to know he has taught me more than anyone or anything else will.

He’s taught me, through his genteel manner and by his example, about patience, understanding and inner strength.

And he’s given me more love than I ever imagined.

Life Lessons from my son

The gift of unconditional love and good port

Twenty-one years ago, my father’s gift to him was a case of fine port, with instructions that the first bottle be opened on his 21st birthday.  In the next week, I look forward to all of us being together to open the first beautiful bottle from this case (with his permission, of course!), and to toast to his happiness on his big day.

May he always be surrounded with unconditional love.  May he find his own brand of happiness, with a life filled with purpose and compassion, according to his own desires and principles, and on his own terms.

As my beloved uncle always ended his letters to me, "I hug you with my words."

Happy 21st birthday, my dear son.

Happy Birthday to my son, from mom with MS

Other posts you might enjoy:
Enhanced by Zemanta

The Importance of Nurturing Our Friendships

Real or fictional portrayals of friendships between women have always had a uniquely powerful impact on me.  Believe it or not, when I watched re-runs of I Love Lucy as a child, I looked past the comedy and was delighted to see the solid friendship between Lucy Ricardo and Ethel Mertz.

That sparked something in me to hope I’d someday have friendships forever.

Lucy and Ethel.  Mary and Rhoda.  Emily and Charlotte.  Serena and Venus.  

As a pre-teen, watching The Mary Tyler Moore Show’s comedic yet poignant relationship between Mary and Rhoda strengthened my love of strong, forever friendships.  They were always having so much fun (and I loved Rhoda's clothes and the fact that Mary never minded them.  Especially the groovy crocheted vests and funky headscarves.)

Meg, Jo, Elizabeth, and Amy March

I always yearned for a sisterly relationship like Lucy's one with Ethel.

I know, I know – it’s fiction!  But writers base their stories on real life, including how women bond with one another,  showing support and compassion despite any stupid, idiotic, exciting, or wonderful thing they may do.

Gloria Steinem and Bella Abzug   Shiprah and Puah (Old Testament)

I have been blessed with two such friendships.  I met my two best friends – identical twins - when we were ten years old.  As identical twins, they, of course, look the same. I treasure them individually for who they are and what they separately mean to me.

Together, they are my sisters.  The ones who have weathered the storm of peer pressure, boyfriends, proms, college, first jobs, marriage, children, and menopause.

We are our true selves when we chat with each other.

We live all over the map, yet I know that on any given day if I call one of them, we can pick up where we last left off.  We are each other’s cheering section and a shoulder to cry on if we need one.

They ground me.

If people go through life with at least one best friend, they can consider themselves lucky.  I’ve been lucky twice, and I never take it for granted.

Dorothy Zbornak, Sophia Petrillo, Blanche Devereaux & Rose Nyland    

True friendship must have three distinct qualities: honesty, trust, and loyalty.

You can have casual friends who may or may not have all of these qualities, yet you share a commonality that enables you to enjoy certain activities together.  One friend may strictly be your tennis buddy; another frequents museums with you.

Thelma and Louise   Mystic Pizza   Steel Magnolias   Stage Door

Over the years, I've learned some hard lessons with some friendships.  These lessons were difficult.  Friends who proclaim they are your friend, yet you don't hear from them despite all of your best efforts.

Others say they miss spending time with you and will call soon.  They never do.

Still, others are fun to be with, yet despite your best efforts, they make little effort to contact you again.

I’ve felt hurt, betrayed, disappointed, and sad.  I’ve questioned myself and whether I said something wrong or wondered whether it was a flaw within me.

I finally learned a very important lesson that comes from the book The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz.  It says:

“Be impeccable with your word. Don't take anything personally. Don't make assumptions. Always do your best.” 

It would be wonderful to have a Lucy or a Mary live next door to share a cup of coffee, chatting the hours away.  It would be lovely to have everyone treat you with dignity and honesty.

“Some people go to priests; others to poetry; I to my friends.” ~Virginia Woolf

I've learned that people come into our lives for a reason, and they leave them for a reason as well.

The truth is that life is as imperfect as we are.  What is important is that to live a good quality life, we must take the time to tend to our true friendships and our health. 

The quality of our friendships affects our health. That is the best reason of all to tend to our friendships.

(See the article at Mayo Clinic on how friendships enrich your life and improve your health.)  

“A friend is one that knows you as you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become, and still, gently allows you to grow.” ~William Shakespeare

Do you tend to your friendships?

Other posts you might enjoy:
Enhanced by Zemanta
Skip to content