I have read that for the International Women’s Day on 8th March this year the theme is to focus on, “Women in the Changing World of Work”!
The internet and articles read state how we should focus on women’s empowerment and how strong women are needed within important roles of society.
We see celebrities such as Beyonce and Oprah, yes these women are entertainers and icons, but they’re also ambassadors for meaningful causes or owners of thriving businesses.
But I’m a powerful woman too, in my own way!
I’m not famous or rich in monetary value but I have one of the most priceless gifts of all – an autistic son.
I’m a wife and have a husband who loves me unconditionally and appreciates the strength I bring to our family home.
I am a full time working mum who is valued within the workplace and juggles the complexities of military precision on a daily/weekly/monthly basis to keep our world turning.
In fact I am surrounded by a whole host of extremely diverse women who don’t need the world to tell them to be powerful.
They are living and breathing beings of power and I look at them in awe and amazement:
My granny first and foremost, originally from Cyprus she was married off to an English soldier at 14 years old and came to the UK which was a foreign country to her where she had no one for support and couldn’t speak the language.
She endured abuse, hardship and without her I or none of my family would be here today
My mum – a mother herself with me from the age of 15, worked and provided for all her 5 children and now ever expanding number of grandchildren.
Who helped support and care for her father as he was terminally ill with cancer and then has endured her own cancer journey over the past 18 months with tears, laughter, strength and determination.
My lovely friend Ceri-Ann who after a textbook pregnancy with her daughter endured birth trauma and is now, what seems to me to be a medical knowledge genius in her daughters HIE and other complex needs.
The time, energy, investigative actions I see her fathom out alongside her role as a mother is inspiring.
My sister, she is a single mum to two beautiful boys on the ASD spectrum.
They say you can take a horse to water but can’t make him drink – she can!!
She is that awesome. She is a mum & dad, homemaker, cook, cleaner, teacher not only to her own boys but an amazing aunty to my son who loves him as her own.
You see to me International Women’s Day will be spent hailing the females in my day-to-day life that make a difference to others lives daily.
Recognising women’s unpaid care and domestic work; the unconditional love and support that they provide, with often no thanks – these are the real achievements in life.
Being a woman is powerful, this, to me, is pinnacle!
I don’t really need a special day to concentrate on this I live and breathe this every day.