We Are Women: International Women's Day

We are women.

We are stronger than we allow the stereotype of our frailty to portray. We stop our crying before company comes and smile like the taste of the salty tears hadn't just irritated our tastebuds. 

We are resilient. 

We find ways to mend hearts without even touching them. We pick up our broken pieces, pack them in our purses and push through. We don't stop. We never stop. We never allow ourselves a chance to breathe; a chance to bare the burdens we've been dealt. Instead we work through them. Instead we fill people's concerns with "I'm fine" and "I'll be okay" and convince ourselves this is true; because we know it always gets better. We have too much to do and too far to go. We use our highest pair of heels to pull us up, on our down days. We cover the stains of our tears with foundation so we aren't distracted from business. We get knocked down, dust ourselves off, toss our hair and continue. 

We are fortitude.We are perseverance. We are beauty.

Our bodies are artwork crafted in honor of miracles. They're temples of God and discreet murals for the rest to admire. Our graceful walk allow our crowns to stay on as we dodge bullets and leap hurdles men can't imagine. Our bodies are homes for the generation to come; and we let them rest their heads, arms and butts on our bladders when they need to. We let them rest their burdens on our shoulders, too. And we're sure to wear the right shoes as we carry theirs, ours and everyone else's. 

We're flowers - whatever your favorite kind. Wallflowers, dandelions, tulips. We need nurturing, nutrients and sun. Yet the very things we need, we provide to others, sometimes before ourselves. We are light. We are rays. 

We are hope. 

We are women of substance who aspire to be everything to others and to ourselves. Hard-working women who live each day keeping in mind the path of our future. We're knocked down, trampled over, pushed to the side and demeaned - but we carry on as if nothing happened. As if our collars hadn't just been bunched up by evil and our lipstick not smudged. We grab our mirrors, fix ourselves and walk on. Because life doesn't stop and we don't stop. 

And if we want to be half as good as men, we must work two times as hard. We have to work hard, look good, be smart, walk tall, dress well, take care of the man, take care of the children, cook, clean and know how much sugar to add to the Kool-aid. 

We are shakers and movers. We are dreamers and doers. We are visionaries and entrepreneurs. We are workers and leaders. We are artists and inventors. We are daughters, sisters, girlfriends, wives, mothers, aunties, God-moms and super-humans. 

We are women; and on this day, I would just like to wish a very Happy International Women's Day to all my Queens. Take the rest of this day appreciating yourself and your role in this world.