Happy International Women's Day

A friend of mine sent this poem to be a few years ago when I was in a tough spot.  Even to this day, it still hits home. At the time, I was trying to figure out how to manage everything that I felt I needed to do. How to be a strong wife, how to be a strong mother to my daughter, how to run a business, how to be a good daughter, how to be a sister, how to be a friend. All the while making it look like I knew what I was doing with a smile on my face.   To this day, I still struggle with this on some days.

This poem made me think about where I was in my life. And I came to the realization that I don’t have to do everything perfectly and I don’t have to do everything. God made women and men different for numerous reasons. This poem, in my opinion, brings to light what a lot of women feel. But if we change the way we see ourselves, we can change our world!  If we change the way we talk to ourselves, and each other, we can change the world, not only for ourselves, but for our children. 

God created women differently and thank goodness He did! He created us to be soft, in a good way! He created us to be able to kiss away tears and bruises while still carrying the weight of the world on our shoulders. He made us to be the one with an open heart and an open mind.  He made us to be strong and intelligent.  He made us unstoppable! 

Living into the life that God creates for you is one of the hardest things someone can learn. I know I’m still trying every day! God made you, a woman, to be somebody special! HE made you unique, amazing, strong, intelligent, gentle, kind and so many other things.  Finding your true self and finding your purpose through God’s grace, in God’s eyes is something I think many of us struggle with. I’m great at some things and I am totally awful at others! But I’m learning to be okay with my faults just as I’m learning to embrace my strengths. I’m not meant to be perfect. I’m meant to be the best version of myself through God’s eyes.  

 -Andrea Whitley, Owner-Blessed Attire

When God created woman he was working late on the 6th day……

An angel came by and asked. “Why spend so much time on her?”

The Lord answered. “Have you seen all the specifications I have to meet to shape her?”

“She must function on all kinds of situations,
She must be able to embrace several kids at the same time,
Have a hug that can heal anything from a bruised knee to a broken heart,
She must do all this with only two hands,
She cures herself when sick and can work 18 hours a day”

The angel was impressed.

“Just two hands...impossible! And this is the standard model?”

The angel came closer and touched the woman
“But you have made her so soft, Lord”.
“She is soft,” said the Lord.
“But I have made her strong. You can’t imagine what she can endure and overcome.”

“Can she think?” The angel asked…
The Lord answered. “Not only can she think, she can reason and negotiate.”

The angel touched her cheeks….
“Lord, it seems this creation is leaking! You have put too many burdens on her.”

“She is not leaking…it is a tear,” The Lord corrected the angel.

“What’s it for?” asked the angel.

The Lord said, “Tears are her way of expressing her grief, her doubts, her love, her loneliness, her suffering and her pride.”

This made a big impression on the angel.

“Lord, you are a genius. You thought of everything.
A woman is indeed marvelous.”

The Lord said, “Indeed she is.
She has strength that amazes a man.
She can handle trouble and carry heavy burdens.
She holds happiness, love and opinions.
She smiles when she feels like screaming.
She sings when she feels like crying, cries when happy and laughs when afraid.
She fights for what she believes in.

Her love is unconditional.
Her heart is broken when a next-of-kin or a friend dies but she finds strength to get on with life”

The Angel asked: “So, she is a perfect being?”
The lord replied: “No. She has just one drawback
“She often forgets what she is worth”

                -author unknown