The Power of Our Voices

I am inspired by women who have direct, honest conversations.

I am inspired by women who ask for what they want and go for it.

I am inspired by women who have the courage to fail and try again.

I am inspired by women who stand up for themselves and others.

I am inspired by women who feel and who create from their souls.

I am inspired by everyday extraordinary women who listen to their hearts and make conscious choices.

The list of women who have inspired me throughout my life is incredibly long. Women who made pottery and baked bread, while helping their children with their homework. Women who became foster parents and knit blankets for preemies in intensive care units. Women who climbed the ladder in corporate America and sat in the audience for my annual musical performance in school. Women who taught me about faith and love by living it.

After my son died, I was inspired by women who had written books about the loss of a child. They shared their love and pain and vulnerability and discovery of personal power that rose from the ashes of their deceased loved ones. Their journeys helped me to grieve and mourn the loss of my son while also embracing the life of my youngest daughter who was born two weeks after my son died. In their courage to share their deepest pain, they were shining a light on a road map for me to find my own way.

I am inspired by women gathering in circles together. Book circles. Al-Anon circles. Meditation circles. Writing circles. Women who challenge me to think and feel and live “my normal” life. Women who listen and women who speak.

I am inspired by women sharing their stories. I am inspired by their courage, tenacity, perseverance and wisdom in the face of adversity. I am inspired by their failures and successes. I am inspired by their feelings and passions and expression.

Women have been the spark, the sandpaper, the rock tumblers, the courageous warriors and the bumper car drivers who have inspired me to uncover and reveal who I really am. I don’t think that it is possible for women to realize their full potential without the inspiration and discomfort that is present in our relationships, observations and conversations with each other. And that includes the inspiration, the spark from their spirit, the power of their voices.

I wouldn’t have made it without women showing me their pain, their heart, their wisdom.

Written by: Andrea Hylen; www.healmyvoice.org