the sisterhood

been thinking about this lately...

sometimes it takes awhile for a woman to discover what is true to her heart. and it can take even longer for that woman to find the courage to act on her discovery. particularly if what feels true to her is different from what the sisters before her have done. no woman wants to make another feel as if what they are doing is wrong or not good enough, because we all know how it feels to be judged; it hurts. and i truly believe no woman wants to hurt another woman. but to carve your own space, and do what you feel is right can be daunting and challenging, not just to you, but to those around you. so to take that step...to boldly travel to a place that is new and different, led bravely by your heart but with your mind fully engaged, is exhilarating, liberating. but once there, to allow a daughter or sister to make a choice to go her own way, even away from where you've travelled...to support her in her need to find her own true heart, when it is different from yours...well, it is challenging, yet it is one of those things that makes me proud to be a part of the sisterhood.

women are so rarely content with the status quo. and men find that so frustrating. hell, women find it frustrating too. we look at ourselves sometimes in those male terms...indecisive, emotional, sensitive, temperamental. the ability to recognize the subtlety of human truths and the vast differences in how they are lived...the ability to feel without shame or regret...the ability to respect those same feelings in others...the ability to tune into our surroundings and support those around us...these are all things that make women so powerful. they are the things that we see in each other, admire in each other, respect in each other and support in each other, all the while vowing to put it forward ourselves...and the circle continues. and again, it is a circle i am awed and humbled to be a part of.

i don't know why we let fear weaken us. fear that we aren't or won't be supported, understood, appreciated, or respected by each other. if we only looked inside of ourselves and let go of those weeds of fear, the tree of our faith and trust would grow quickly. but maybe this is to keep us in balance. to keep us humble. to keep us from TAKING OVER THE WORLD.... :)

but imagine a world where we knew the woman next to us was friend. someone who trusts us. someone who we can trust. someone who may make different choices, but that difference does not make her our enemy. if we each respected that unique and individual heart inside us for what it is to her and not what it implies about us. because all the implication should be is a continued search for something more, maybe a resting time until the courage is gathered, maybe still a time of discovery. but supporting each other is, again, contributing to the circle of womanhood, and something that will always come back to us.

there are many sisters i've watched lately do very courageous things. things i am encouraged and inspired by.

but one particular reason this is on my heart is a good friend who is also a homeschooling mama. she is who inspired me to research this option for my family, so i feel a little indebted and, uhm, well, kind of "worship-ful" of her. :) anyway, her oldest daughter will be starting public high school this fall. and while i know it's been a hard journey for both of them to make, i'm deeply touched to have been someone she shared with through the journey (although, i realize, truly, the journey has only just begun...). mostly, i'm encouraged to my core at her wisdom and courage in making this decision with her daughter. i'll tell you, wisdom and courage were not these tidy, neat entities that just came and bestowed order on everything. they were very earthy, and very present through tears and emotions like anger and hurt and healing... much confusion was used to tease them out of the mundane... but they were, i believe, found by an unwavering love and respect for womanhood...a budding womanhood, but also one that is perhaps more experienced, but still growing and learning and every bit as hungry for life as before, intertwined, tangled, growing in tandem, but also growing their own ways...and the tree grows and it shades the world, gives it oxygen and a place for everything to rest, fruits, etc...

got a little gushy there...and maybe it's a little too sappy. but hell, this is a blog and this is all on the fly. :)
have a good day
peace