International Women's Day (+ what it means to me)

“Beloved, you are my sister, you are my daughter, you are my face; you are me. 
                                                                                                                -Toni Morrison


One of the most profound shifts that happened to me after I became a mom was the realization that there is no "over there" and over here. A child in Haiti is a child in India is a child in Canada is a child in the Congo etc. A woman being doused in gasoline and set on fire in India is a woman in the Congo who is also being murdered. Differences fell away as emotion and heart guided me. I thought of  a mother struggling to feed to children (whether right here in the U.S. or halfway across the world)...and my heart broke with vulnerability and neediness. This not seeing "the other" was an unimaginable gift of grace that stripped away layers of masks and superficial "differences".

This photo was taken around the time when Tara turned one, around the time I started my blog...just when I was coming into the fullness of mySELF...of what it was to birth, to blossom, to step into my power as a woman. Giving birth made me acknowledge the awesome power of my body...the sheer beauty of actually creating a human being. Heady stuff. But it's not birthing that makes me (or any woman) a mother...it's the nurturing that comes after. So...the questions of how can I fill up my daughter...in every way...started to take shape. Now...more than ever ever ever...since I have a precious baby girl...I realize the importance of women's rights in all capacities (from the political to the mundane)...globally and right here at home. It deeply saddens me that so many younger women + girls reject the notion of feminism...thinking it's somehow archaic to lay claim to what we, as women, face on a daily basis. And not just "over there"...
A few articles, inspiration and bits from around the web this morning that I want to share:
* loved reading this very meaty post this morning
*this saying in the Congo just broke my heart  " if a boy lives to 3 he'll see his mom raped. If he lives to 15 he'll rape a woman"
*This article had me laughing so hard...I love her crass sense of humor doused in intellectual clarity. 
*love this amazing young girl...and the interview she did
*books I will eventually add to Tara's library
*so pissed off that these clowns are representing us...and so grateful that this man is our Pres.!
*global voices...women sharing their life experiences. such an eye opener!!

For girls + women everywhere...Happy International Women's Day!!! We have come so far...and yet, so far to go!