the words of women

I am not an angry girl, but it seems like I’ve got everyone fooled. Every time I say something they find hard to hear, they chalk it up to my anger and never to their own fear.
ani difranco

I believe I have to be the change I want to see in the world. I am at awe of all the courageous women in the group who are fireless in their pursuit of a better world; they organize meetings, they protest, they write, they make movies, they put themselves in the forefront of war torn countries, they speak out, they run NGO, they work for peace. It is their gift. We all have a gift.
Contrary to these remarkable women, I haven’t fought a battle, wrote a pamphlet, chained myself in front of a bulldozer, lived in a tree to prevent its logging, be the director of a women shelter, but I help friends in need, I give words of encouragement, I give an helping hand, I babysit, for free, to allow a mother to work, I comfort people, I spend times with the ones that are lonely, I gives hugs and kisses, lots and lots of them, I cry with people and friends when they need it, I provide a shoulder to cry on: I reassure, I cheer on, I cook, I clean, I organize, I inspire. In a world of overly in a hurry, over-stressed, over-worked people, someone’s smile, her readiness to listen, her soft, sweet presence is a gift.
And so is a web site that allows women to connect, to read each other’s words of pain and comfort, to witness each other’s struggles and triumphs. I think about the women who live in isolation, oppressed, hidden, made to believe they are not important. Through web 2.0 they have a presence, a voice. Even if they cannot directly read what we are writing, I know they know they are not alone, I know they know they count, I know, they know, that through them we understand that the persecution of a woman anywhere is the persecution of women everywhere.
I am proud to be part of a community of so many inspiring women. I love them all. I identify with their insecurities, their hopes, their fears, their questions, their struggles, their victories, their pains and their joys. Even here in the comfort of my house, in my picturesque little town, amidst the fabulous fall foliage, I can relate to the VOF women, and I feel so inspired, so hopeful, so confident about our future I know I am living at the right time at the right place. We will prevail.