Happy International Women's Day! I am incredibly proud of the women in my family. My college essay appropriately began with, "I come from a long line of strong women." My maternal grandmother, Claire, and her family bravely fled Iraq in 1942 where they were being persecuted for being Jewish. She had a career when most women stayed home and by far the best taste and the most beautiful and classic clothing and accessories which I am lucky enough to have inherited. She later went on to become a Bat Mitzvah as an adult and gave talks about her unique and profound experience as an Iraqi Jew. My paternal grandmother, Gloria, was a political activist, painter, sculptor and later in life a representative to the United Nations from the Center for Defense Information. She quit modeling to instead use her brain and passion fighting for equality and a world free from wars. As you can imagine, neither were your typical Jewish grandmothers to say the least! They both loved family dearly. My mother was named partner at a big law firm at a time when there were practically zero women partners. I have yet to meet a harder worker or someone who gives more critical thought and care to topics large and small. Her attention to detail and the bigger picture at large always astounds me. If you need a cheerleader to cheer you on, the name of a good florist or the perfect recipe for your party, she's your gal! She is the Sherlock to my Holmes.
To them I owe my three time change of majors at the University of Maryland. Finally landing on a major that I loved and which made perfect sense to me - Women's Studies. I knew it was a unique choice at the time but it always felt just right. I love how my mom supported me every step of the way as I followed my intuition. I've volunteered for numerous organizations that support girls and today focus my efforts on supporting women with lupus as well as other moms looking for some help with their health and well-being. I see my daughter Olivia (7) as a leader already, voted class representative and a social butterfly who you'll find reading nonstop. She was born an empath and is truly her own person.
It's an important day and we should all make time to think about the important women in our life, both past and present!
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