The women in my life.........

Women are the glue that holds our day-to-day world together.
- Anna Quindlen

Today is the International Women's Day - a global day celebrating the political, social and economic achievements of women in the world. I too congratulate these women but the ones that truly command my respect and celebration today are the ones whom I recognise as toiling away silently in the background without any expectations of any award or recognition, doing what they had undertaken to do in the best way possible - the women in my life.

We might not see eye-to-eye, but not a day has gone by without me appreciating what my mother had forgone to raise me up. She will always be my Joan of Arc, the dauntless and resilient heroine against the challenges that life throws up her alley. Next the family of sisters that I inherited along with Anna. It has taken me 12 long years to re-discover the family that I had at my doorstep all this time, but better late than never. My close circle of girl-friends scattered all over the world but always quick to reach out in times of support and need. My female acquaintances in Brisbane, always with a smile and a helping hand to bolster my flagging spirits when dealing with kids/family troubles.

On this day, I would want to remember the grandmothers, the mothers, the female relatives in the world who have always been there for their kids, for their family in their own little way - be it eating mouldy cheese so kids can get an extra portion or preserving the childhoods of kids at any cost, raising them unaware of wars or family crisis - the women who are the first ones to wake up and the last ones to go to bed, the women who give up on their own dreams so their kids can have a life. It is these women, the never-t0-be-forgotten spirits from our past, present and future that I would like to honour on this day.

Today, I also choose to forgive the meanness of the women I have come across in my life, especially in my year away and the last few months.....after all, without darkness one cannot truly appreciate light. It is the smallness of these women that makes me appreciate the greatness of my own caring female world around me. I also try to remember that these women too are in fact the daughter, the mother, the wife or the fiancee of someone - perhaps this can be used as a mitigating factor towards lessening the animosity between us.

Despite the risk of turning this blog into one of those spam emails, I still would like people reading this blog to show their appreciation to atleast one women in their life today. Be it just a mere thank-you or a phone call or an email, just tell the women in your life that you care and you are fully aware of the sacrifices, the hardships that they had undergone for raising you or making you the person you are.

Thank you !!!