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Dear Ladies,
As another International Women’s Day is upon us, I can’t help taking a second to look back at the growth as a woman I’ve had this year and, even more so, the growth that’s about to come. I find myself enveloped in a roller coaster of feelings and profound emotions across the weight and wonder of womanhood and the many stages, phases and layers that entails.
To myself, I am proud of the intentional choices, both big and small, and direction I am choosing within my career, the abundance of love and joy shared with my son, and this crazy, wonderful life I am building with my husband. But more so, as I stand here on the threshold of completely uncharted territory bringing two more baby boys into this world, I am filled with love, anxiety, excitement, and a hopeful future.
This next phase promises both challenges and immense joy, and is filled with unknown. It will teach me to again change and grow as a woman as I let go, and let God in many ways from my body to my time and sanity. It will teach me to embrace the chaos, be more understanding and forgiving of expectations, and most likely roll with the punches both figuratively and literally.
In my son’s eyes I see the purity, innocence, and reminder of this beautiful world, its possibilities, and all the opportunity there is for us to explore and embrace by nurturing and believing. I only hope that you and I can carry on that feeling and nurture those around us by believing and empowering them, and ourselves, to be the best version of self.
Our family will soon grow in size, demands, noise, laughter, and love. Amid my testosterone filled house, I promise to pause, breathe, and savor these moments. In the blind of an eye those giggles I crave and dream of will transform into burly laughter of men who stand with great pride and dignity like their father.
To all the women out there, on this day of celebration, let us remember the power within our hearts and that that is bestowed upon our fingertips. The only ceiling is the one you place on yourself. It is our job to help each realize that we are capable of all things, and our obligation to help each other rise to our full potential.
I am honored to be blessed with a village of outstanding, supportive, inspirational women who love unconditionally and have engrained such a sense of pride, power, and encouragement in all that I do. I don’t take that lightly and know I wouldn’t be the same if it were different. But don’t use that as your excuse if you weren’t as fortunate. Use that as your reason - your reason to ensue that other girls and women don’t have to do it alone the same as you had to. Help pave the way, help raise them up.
Among many things, we are nurturers, we are teachers, we are healers - all things vital to a successful future. I pray that we take this day as a reminder to not push each other down to rise to the top, but to sit down, dust each other off, and stand together united by what makes us difference. Let us support one another through every step, check on those who seem distant, pick up those who have fallen, lift up those who deserve to be celebrated, and love unconditionally through this crazy journey called life.
Let the very fibers of our being - good, bad, and ugly - connect us and weave the tapestry of sisterhood that knows no bounds. Let us learn from our older, wiser generations, nurture and guide our younger sisters, and open our hearts and minds to that which we don’t yet understand across views, cultures, religion so we can share stories to strengthen our collective voice, and simply enjoy each other’s company.
Today I not only celebrate womanhood for who we are, but for the women I want to inspire my three boys to grow up and respect, cherish, and love. Let this not only be a day of celebration, but a testament to continued powerful and profound change in this world that we’ve built together - a world where every woman is seen, heard, and valued for exactly who they are.
With a deep sense of love and admiration, Chrissy