women

i'm privileged in my work that i get to watch women grow.
i get to see them at all the different stages of the journey.
the ones who are further down the road from me guide me and
help me on my own path. the ones who've just stepped up to
the plate remind me of where i've been, and help me to remember
things i need to remember.

it's quite an honor.
quite a perk to the job.

in conversing with one of these women today, i tried to
gently nudge her in the direction of compassion for herself.

man, i certainly need nudging and reminding of that myself
all the time! and in hearing her pain, i saw how important it
was. and i saw how hard it is for us to give ourselves.

but we get better. and better. and stronger. and when we forget,
there's a circle of women right there to remind us.

and as i sat and thought of all this today,
i was brought to tears by the sheer beauty of a woman waking up.

it truly is like watching her give birth to herself.
with labor pains and contractions that rip at her very core.
and if i didn't know where it was taking her, and what she'd
get in the end, i'd worry.

but i do know.
and i smile.
sometimes i cry.

and today, i bow down to one of the most beautiful things in
the world....a woman waking up.

there are gifts to this life that defy words.
i feel that my being able to watch this over and over is
one of those things.

women are miracles.
bowing to those miracles....