International Women's Day

Today is International Women’s Day. This is something that, until last year, I never knew existed. I discovered this holiday through my online friends from countries around the world. This is one of many holidays that the United States does not celebrate. But, maybe we should.

Around the world today, on many social networking sites, women and men around the world are celebrating the virtues of women. Our strength, our confidence, our grace, our presence, our divine being.

In thinking about this day, I know that I am fortunate to have been born female in the United States. The key phrase of that sentence isn’t “born female”, it is “born female in the United States”. There are rights that women have here in the US that women around the world are fighting for-and dying for. The right to vote. To earn a fair and equitable wage. To read. To hold religious office. There are many luxuries I am afforded as a woman in the US.

But not everything in the US is as it should be. Women in the US have the right to vote. However, we only acquired the right to vote in 1920. It hasn’t even been one hundred years since we were afforded the right to vote. Women also have problems being paid the same amount of money as a man for doing the exact same job. In terms of our health care, many in the US are determined to take away a woman’s right to choose whether to have a child or have an abortion. Without inviting a huge debate, I believe that a woman should make that choice for herself, and not have a state or government make that choice for her. We have come a long way in the US in terms of equal rights for women. But we have a long way to go. Today especially we should notice that there are many women around the world who do not have equal rights.

Women make up more of the population of the Earth than men. Today is a day to celebrate all that we are, all that we contribute to the world. Our potential. Our vision. Our presence in this world. It seems right that the world celebrate women. I am proud to be a woman. I am proud of all that I contribute to the world.

We contribute to the world. We matter. We are a presence in this world. We are a divine force of nature. Let’s celebrate.

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