International Women's Day 2011

A bit of history from the International Women's Day website:

"Annually on 8 March, thousands of events are held throughout the world to inspire women and celebrate achievements. A global web of rich and diverse local activity connects women from all around the world ranging from political rallies, business conferences, government activities and networking events through to local women's craft markets, theatric performances, fashion parades and more.

Many global corporations have also started to more actively support IWD by running their own internal events and through supporting external ones. For example, on 8 March search engine and media giant Google some years even changes its logo on its global search pages. Year on year IWD is certainly increasing in status. The United States even designates the whole month of March as 'Women's History Month'.

Too catch a glimpse of the rest of the world, visit Reuters International Women's Day pictorial slideshow.

And now I would like to brightly acknowledge the women in my life who have made a huge difference in the world, and continue to influence me personally.

First and always, Mom. Miss Sally Ann Dicks (Osner) is the reason I exist today, and that was no easy job! I remember her working a man's labor job at the Co-op to support my older brother and myself. Mom successfully raised 4 children, and took care of lots of other people's kids in the process. I distinctly remember the friends I've had over the years looking toward my mother as the go-to person for solid advice and a good laugh if needed. Mom put herself through college, she's been a writer, a talented free-lance makeup-artist, a labor worker, a baby-butt changer, a puppeteer and Sunday-school helper. She can sew her own clothes, sniff out even the tiniest lie, and make the best stew in the world. When her beloved father passed away, Mom gave a solid hand of support to her own mother, and did not flinch. Mom taught me to take care of my own, and to not be afraid to jump in a truck full of my belongings if a several hundred-mile excursion was necessary to make that happen. We are pioneers of our own making. Mom has helped me through the best childbirth experiences and the worst attempts at pretending that I "know-it-all", and I thank her for being the fortress she is. I cannot imagine what I have not learned from my mother, because she's simply part of my bones.

My grandmother Louise Choat (Dicks) is the single most purposefully energized person I have ever met in my life. I have seen the greatest love pass between two people, while I looked toward my grandparents. This woman is a beautiful, intelligent, hardworking woman who made herself do better at every turn. She has been the assistant vice-president of a bank, she raised two sturdy women, she is and always has been an artist, and she's never once let me believe that I could not do what I set my mind to doing, without complaint. Even if it was learning how to peer out from behind her leg as a child, and speak directly to a store clerk in Pegues department store, circa 1980-something. The above picture includes the women of the Choat family, from left to right: Aunt Shirley, Myrtle Stone (Choat), Aunt Lois (I call her Aunt Virginia, and will not stop), Louise, and her gentle oldest sister, my Aunt Marie, who is holding her first born. From Louise, I learned manners, style, and how to apply my intelligence as a woman of worth. And, we happen to share the same color of eyes. 

My baby sister Marcy is a spritely ball of intelligence and wit. She's brave, compassionate, and logical. I remember carting her around as a baby, pretending that she was my made-to-order doll. Of course she was, right?  The years we've spent growing up apart due to our age difference, and her older sister's want to travel have not dampened our friendship. This woman is that person whom I will always turn to when I need reassurance that everything in the world can be approached with logic and decency. Thank you for letting me paint your toenails in one long swipe, and for tolerating me while I put every plastic barrette in the house into your wispy little-kid hair .Thank you for always including me without question. And thank you for reminding me to keep doing it right. 

Aunt Tanis taught me creativity and color! She may never know this, but the fact that she worked in a salt mine for years, and could still build herself a home with vibrant color illuminated me as a child. Tanis is and always has been a creature of beauty and bold spirit, and I am glad she is my mother's sister. There are few people in the world with whom we can share every ridiculous tid-bit of life, and receive zero judgment. There was never a furrowed brow. This simply is an Auntie's place in life - to accept her niece's spillage of "look what I did" with amazement, somehow convince me to tell my mother what I should, and offer the best chocolate chip cookies the world has ever seen.

Lori Anderson (Becker) has been by best friend since I tripped into Central Christian high school at the age of twelve, on very fashionable crutches. We have been through boyfriends, serious family tragedy, Nebraska choir performances, and regurgitation of wheat-thins. The miles have not stopped our connection, and I truly believe that she knows we will wind up in the same skilled nursing facility. Lori was Darian's first babysitter, and took great joy in feeding the child blue juice to see what color would later appear in his diaper. This is perfectly fine, as she allowed me to cut her younger sister's curly hair into surrealistic formations for years. Above all, Lori has provided my life with stability when I was down, and allowed me to offer her the same when she needed it. Wish you were here!

Michelle Anderson, otherwise known as my formidable Faux Wife # 1 (married by the Voodoo Doughnut priest), has taken what life has placed at her feet and created something better. Something creative and groundbreaking. She will travel the world, building the life she chooses to walk though, and nothing will ever again, stand in her way. Michelle will write down her experiences, and as she maps out her path,  the rest of us will watch in awe as she follows her bliss. Of this, I am convinced.

Dr. Sarah Holloway, otherwise known as my formidable Faux Wife # 2 (also married in the same ridiculous fake wedding in a doughnut shop) has become an icon of integrity and perseverance to me. She has a massive heart of compassionate that never fails to remind me: the world is a good place to be in, so long as we're doing our part to make it so.

I just can't name all the women who share some part of my life or who have influenced me to think consciously, and dream of huge ideas. Caitlin, the North Carolina homesteader (yes everyone, I'm serious); Rose Grech, my dear friend and world traveling environmentalist; Holly Bynoe & Nadia Huggins, for reaching into the world with something to say; Anei Birdlo, the wandering musician; Catherine, my adopta-sister in Washington who dedicates her spare time to the service of others; Mrs Folks, my 2nd and 3rd grade teacher who told me to go into the backyard and scream until I found my voice; Elisa Lazo de Valdez, for literally sharing your dreams; Grandma Marilyn Osner, for raising 7 kids on a Kansas wheat farm; Grandma Meme Boyington, for being a sweet, southern voice in my mind; Erin, Aimee & Jessica, my creative, beautiful, and inspiring daughters; Dr. Rachel Cunliffe Hardesty, the Restorative Justice mentor of my life - thank you for biting back! 

"I believe that hate and our desire for violence largely arises from the frustration of unmet needs. If we can respectfully listen attentively to one another we can collaborate to address critical needs not just for social justice but also for social connection. This is the foundation for sustainable life, locally, nationally and globally."  - Dr. Hardesty