International Women’s Day—What Her Mother Told Her

We, in Venerable Women,  send kind wishes to you on this day honoring women and girls. May it be a day that leads into another day and then another, until all women and girls are treated with honor, love, and respect throughout the world.

Our wish flows out to every single human on this planet, honoring the dignity of all regardless of how they were created by our Divine. May we see the value and worth of each heart, regardless of what kind, color, or belief makes up the body which encases that heart. Women know this to be true: that love is the answer—not war, not hate, not exclusion, not abuse, not power-over.  Women are the bearers of light, love, and hope—and know that those attributes are our strength and our salvation.

Imagine it is January, 25 years from now in the U.S. Walking through an antique store on their way to the celebration, a little girl asks her mother, “What is this?” holding up a button with #MeToo printed on it.

Surprised, the mom smiles, and says, "Oh my goodness. I heard about these pins. #MeToo was a movement  from many years ago, my love. There was a point when women were not respected—and many girls and women all around the world were treated very poorly.”

Shocked, the little girl asked, “Really? No way. Why on earth did that happen?”

Her mother thought for a moment and said, “I know. It’s hard to believe! It happened because one part of humanity thought they needed to be in charge over the others. It didn’t work out too well so some brave people spoke up. There was some fighting, and some people who wanted things to stay just the way they were. Ultimately everyone agreed it was time to work together and make sure everyone had a voice.’

The mom went on to say, “It was a very messy time for a while. Then people began to see that it was better for everyone when instead of some people having power over other people, each person  would be encouraged to remember the power they had within themselves and the wonderful power they had when they all worked together.”

The little girl said, “I’m happy they all wised up! So how long until we get to President Susan’s Inauguration? Do you think there will ever be a man President, Mom?”

The mother laughed and said, “We’ll be there soon. And of course there will probably be a man as our leader some day. We have all kinds of people in leadership because we make our decisions based on a person’s qualities, not their sex or race or anything else—just because of who they are inside.”

“Right,” said her daughter, and they continued their drive. “I guess we don’t need pins like that #MeToo pin anymore.”

Thoughtfully, her mother replied,“We don’t need to wear the pin anymore, but we honor and thank the brave women who inspired the change that led us to today. We must never forget the lessons of the past and always stand up for what we believe.”