These are my womenfolk
My grandmother (seated in the middle) was widowed early. She kept her five daughters alive through famine, world war, Nazi occupation, civil war and later on a dictatorship.
She made the ultimate sacrifice to send three of those daughters to the other side of the world to marry men they didn’t know, all in the hopes that they would have a better life.
They have passed down enduring gifts that are encoded in my DNA.
10 Gifts these women have given me
- Women’s work is not lesser work.
- Making beautiful, useful things matter.
- If you are in a position to help…help.
- The hard things are your greatest teachers.
- Make do with what you have but make it special or beautiful.
- Knowing how to love is a superpower. Love often and love openly.
- Be open to learning, even it is from a young child.
- Don’t revel in somebody else’s misery. It says more about you than them.
- Show gratitude and appreciation for the contribution of others no matter how small.
- Forgive those that tresspass against you and yours.
Thanks are not enough
Giving thanks just doesn’t seem nearly enough. I stitch my gratitude for these gifts in every stitch I make. I learned to craft things with my hands from these women. Frida and Co. is a creative practice that honors these women and their extraordinary legacy.
Today on International Women’s Day I want to celebrate not just my womenfolk but all our womenfolk, past, present and those who will come after us.
May we continue to weave stories of resilience, hope, and creation, one stitch at a time.
Sistas from other misters I salute you.
xxToula