Photo by me.
Welcome to the month of March - the arrival
of Spring, the extending of the days and a great opportunity to celebrate
womankind with International Women’s Day and Mothering Sunday. Although it’s not as if we females need an
excuse to celebrate and party! It’s
wonderful to have not one but two days set aside in the calendar to celebrate.
As part of the Attract Readers BloggingChallenge, I wanted to write something in honour of both days, International
Women’s Day and Mothering Sunday. I wanted to see and understand the connection
between the two days, if indeed there was one?
My thoughts wander to the females in my own family – grandmothers,
mother, sisters, daughters, aunts, nieces and recently great-nieces.
As I write, I think about the great women
in my life, those who helped to make me the person I am today and those helping
to make me the woman I will become... a scary thought as I meander along the
path of life. I am mindful of many life lessons learned from
my grandmothers and my mother. What
lessons have I been taught? What advice
have I heeded? Who were the people who
influenced me the most? What have I learned in our exchanges of discussion and
debate? How have the pearls of wisdom been
passed on and ultimately used to good effect? When and how often have I retold
the stories with laughter and tears? What are the words I hold close in my
heart particularly when some of those I love are no longer here? What will I leave and pass on to other females
in my family? My scribbling notebooks?
My maternal grandmother, Sheila, was a
practical, ‘no-nonsense’, Irish woman. She worked hard all her life, leaving
school at fourteen, travelling from the South of Ireland to The North in search
of work. Surprisingly, she settled easily with different families, adapting to their ways, customs and learning of English! She was a native Irish (Gaelic) speaker. At the time speaking in Irish was unacceptable for employment. My grandmother 'had to speak in English', as she often told us. It was probably my grandmother’s strong work ethic, no
nonsense attitude, determination and sense of fun that made her the wonderful grandmother she was for me. She had a
twinkle in her eye that sparkled every time she laughed. Her positivity and gratefulness were much in evidence during her lifetime, qualities taught to her children and grandchildren .... long before such traits
became popular.
For me, Sheila was a Woman of Substance, a
tower of strength, the voice of reason; the woman who listened when I thought no
one else would or could. She never said,
‘I told you so’. She never said, ‘You
can’t’. She had a way of instilling a
confidence and trust in a shy and quiet teenager – me! She was particularly good at helping me to
see both sides of the story, particularly when I went through the ‘stroppy
teenager stage’ (mother terminology). My grandmother was able to help me learn
(in a loving and supportive way) that I had to listen carefully to the words
that were exchanged between mothers and daughters. In my moments of ranting, I had forgotten
that my mother was - of course - her daughter!
As International Woman’s Day and Mothering
Sunday draws closer, I’d like to take the opportunity to applaud great Women of
Substance everywhere, especially women like my grandmother Sheila and my own
lovely Mum. Is there a connection? Yes, it is significant to celebrate great
females in our lives socially, politically, and economically. It is important to acknowledge all the work
they do. On both days I will remember my great role models. What about you?
