As a person who loves the holidays, I have completely devoted myself to Thanksgiving this November. As I run through all the moments, things, and people I am grateful for, I find a commonality in my reflection: the amazing women in my life. Every day I give thanks for their presence. From my mother to my professors, the girls I babysit to my best friends, I am endlessly grateful for the amazing women that surround me. So let me take a minute to praise the women who have graced my life. I know I take them for granted, so I hope those reading this can also take a second out of their day to think of and appreciate the strong women in your own life.
To my rock, my mother: You are the one woman who I am most deeply grateful for. I literally owe you my life. You primarily raised me and I like to think you did a pretty good job. You were strict when you needed to be and loving in every moment. You have seen me at my lowest and my highest, and your love has never faltered. You are the person I turn to when I need anything or have lost my way. You are blunt and honest and always call me out. When I was younger I didn’t appreciate you being so forward with me, but now I am utterly grateful. You have shaped me into the woman I am and I cannot say thank you enough.
To my dance partners: You all are the lights of my life. You came into my life at exactly the right times, and I count my blessings for you every day. You can make me laugh in a way that hurts my stomach. You listen to me when I don’t even know what I am saying. You understand my weird habits and my desires to be and do more. Thank you for the long discussions and the days you know to let me be. Thank you for being my home away from home.
To those who believe in me: I cannot put into words how amazing it feels to have those you admire tell you they believe in you. My mentors and my family, thank you for the letters, the words of encouragements, the pep talks, and the nights spent sitting on the couch. Thank you for the hours of talking about the world and how we view it. The dreams we have and the ways we want to accomplish them. Thank you for believing in me when I think I cannot go any further. I only hope I can encourage you in the same ways.
To my inspirations: You are a large group of women. You are the reasons why I study and fight and try my best. You are as young as 2 and as old as 83. You are the reasons why I don’t give up. I see you and I am inspired to be better. I am inspired to make you proud. I am inspired to do what I can, however small, to make this world one where you will thrive. You push me and you do not even know. You make me feel like I can move mountains. You test me and irk me. You force me outside my comfort zone. And you do all this by simply being yourselves.
Each of you has a piece of my heart. You are the voices in my head picking me back up when I fall. You are the relationships I am most interested in cultivating and attending to. You stand by me, encourage me, call me out, and drive me up a wall. I have tried my best to put into words the overwhelming appreciation and gratitude I feel for you.
It is not just around this time of year that we should tell the people we love how much they mean to us. We should have the courage to stand up and say thank you. Thank you for who you are. Thank you for who you have made me. During this season of thanks, look at those strong resilient women, and anyone else, and tell them how grateful you are for their mere presence in your lives.