Celebrating the Aging Woman

Good Morning! What a beautiful day it is here in SW Colorado. The sky is bright blue, the sun shining, birds are singing - more than usual - could spring be in the air, just a little? Yes! I think so after a much needed, very snowy winter.

During the many snowy days, when storms raged outside, we sequestered ourselves with a purpose! They Persisted, the second edition, is finally in print. It went live on Amazon last week, and will be available locally sometime mid month, when they arrive on my doorstep. I am excited, grateful and relieved. It was a journey. There were so many issues that, at one point, I didn’t think it would happen. But because of the amazing and committed team I was working with, it did!!

The process was many things; frustrating, joyful, aggravating, scary, discouraging… and more, but I learned a lot and have grown from what I learned. I think the first and most important thing was patience. Then the realization that I knew so little. I asked myself repeatedly who did I think I was that I could write a decent book? I have degrees, but little grasp on the craft of writing. Little or no understanding of the finer points. But the team, our passion for the stories of these women, made it happen. We walked through it and worked through it together with great tenacity. We did it! Thank you.

As we journeyed down this road together, we are “women of a certain age”, honoring other women who have come before us and inspired us. We have value… all of us. Yes, we are aging and our bodies are showing signs of that. BUT we still have great value. I lost sight of this a few times during the process. Society does not honor the aging or aged woman often. However, I realize we must honor those women. We are here. See us, hear us, share joy with us! Listen to our stories because we have lived, loved, struggled, failed, learned and ultimately won! We are here and we have something to say.

The following showed up last week and I wanted to share it as part of my rant today.

I hope you enjoy and thanks for stopping by. Have a blessed week.

"Have we lost touch of the beauty of an aging woman? She is powerful beyond measure; she has an essence about her that screams strength, wisdom and knowledge. She is a role model, she has many stories to tell. She shines where she stands. She is outrageous, she is wild, but most importantly she is free of the demands that society puts on her. She is confident; she believes in herself, she lives her life by her own set of rules.

She finally becomes comfortable and settles into her life. She gets this time to experience things that she felt that she never could before because now the rules have changed. Her life is written on the lines on her face, the grey in her hair, and the age on her hands, and the shape of her body changes but it doesn't mean that it cannot be loved.

Why do we not look up to these women? We can learn from them and be inspired by them, and understand that age only strengthens beauty. It’s time to praise these women for what they have been through; they have survived life, for they are the brightest shining lights leaving their mark, with grace, charm and elegance. So here’s to the older woman, may she continue to shine."

~Sacred Dreams

Image by Leland Howard Marmon American photographer