Inspire...

...do something very courageous, very bold, very exhilarating, and pass the energy along. be infectious. lower your voice and lean in to tell how awesome it is to move halfway across the country with no money, no job, no place to live. breathe in, breathe out, breathe into another. tell another woman how you left a suffocating job or relationship--so she knows she can do it. tell a young girl about the thrill of traveling around the world alone--so she knows she can try it. be as healthy, as vibrant, as beautiful, as authentic as you possibly can be, in a way that speaks silently to others. you can be this, too. smile at other women's dreams and their hopes, and reassure them that they'll survive whatever black hole they're currently navigating. at the beach, tell the young mother of four that you and your ex-husband can talk together, laugh together. don't just tell her that she can be there, too, show her. let her see it in your eyes and hear it in your voice and then breath it in --inspire.
--rachel snyder

i didn't have a strong village of women growing up. my grandmother jewel guided me as best and as long as she could. she left too soon...don't they always.
i paid attention to her silent strength. she never complained when life was hard, just dug her boots in deeper to remain standing. always staying true to herself. it has taken me almost a lifetime to remember that same beautiful grace and power runs through my own veins...i am getting it...i am feeling it...i am doing it, and will continue the legacy within my own namesakes and the women along my path.
part of our own responsibility as women...is to teach other women how to be women and stand in their own power...right?
keep passing the baton
--shelle