International Women's Day

Some nights I'm too tapped out to write.

Some nights I just don't have the words.

Some nights I have the words but fear it will come off as pandering, pedantic or something else.

But let me try.

It's International Women's Day, which can bring on the collection of questions about its necessity and so on.

I've been surrounded by amazing women since the day I was born.

That began with my tough-as-nails mom, and my sister, whom I've always been close to.

I watched my sister raise six kids, and she helped raise me too, to take nothing away from my mother.

My maternal grandmother was the very definition of one, and my grandfather's second wife was the only paternal grandmother that I knew (my actual grandmother died seven years before I was born, and would have been 140 years old in 2019). She might have been my "step" grandmother, but that didn't matter. She was great to me.

I have wonderful aunts and female cousins (and second cousins).

I have nieces and great-nieces I adore.

I can't even begin to talk about my friends, though I could just start by telling you about Susan, who might be the strongest person I know.

I can't tell you about her because she'd kill me.

Most -- perhaps, all -- of these women, in fact, would tell me this post is ridiculous because they don't need or want a day.

We all have strengths. I'm glad to have the strength, wisdom, compassion, ability, love, support, and friendship of each woman in my life.

You each amaze me in your own way. Thank you.

I don't need a day to tell you that, but I'm glad I took the opportunity to try to do so.