Today I want to write a tribute to the women in my
life. You who have encouraged me,
nurtured me, molded me, leaned on me, cherished me. You who have lifted me up and shown me what
beauty I have, inside and out. This is
to you.
I want you to not look in the mirror today. Forget that reflective shiny thing that tells
us lies and makes us think we’re too fat or too wrinkly or too
gray-haired. Today, mirrors are
non-existent. Instead, I want you to
look at the world around you and to smile.
I want you to smile so big your cheeks hurt and your teeth show and the
wrinkles by your eyes get deeper. I want
you to smile because you (yes you) are special.
Don’t believe me?
May I remind you that you are the one who gave birth to
me. That’s right. You’re the one who tolerated me wrecking your
gorgeous figure for 8 months and then graciously cared for me for another two
decades. You are the one who held my
hand as I walked to my first day of school.
You are the one who sang songs and read books to me. You are the one who cheered me on from the
sidelines, who drove me to practice, who made me eat my veggies before
dessert. You are the one who encouraged
me to go the extra mile, to never settle for less, to aspire to be great. You are the one who showed me new cultures
and places and taught me to love the entire world. You made me laugh until my belly hurt and
there were tears in my eyes. You taught
me to think before I speak. You gave me
good advice, even when I didn’t ask for it.
You cuddled with me on the couch.
You visited me or wrote me cute little notes when I was lonely. You let me learn from my own mistakes. You consoled me when I was hurt or angry or
sad. You showed me how to live out my
faith with my whole being. You believed
in me even when I didn’t.
You ARE special.
Admit it.
So smile. Today is your day.
A day to be proud and also a day to remember and be thankful for all the
women in your life too. Those ladies who
make your life that much more special.
Thank you, my fellow women. Never stop being you.
Thank you, my fellow women. Never stop being you.
