On Being Present

I recently read about mitochondiral DNA and how it generally is passed down through the all generations of women unchanged - that is to say, you, my female reader, have the same mitochondiral DNA as all women everywhere as far back as science can trace. Wow! Somehow, that heady piece of information reminds me of the following:

I share a birth date with my mother. Its always seemed a fragile connection. A test, perhaps, for her to face. The story I learned as a young woman of her near success at aborting the fetal me - twice - seemed more fitting to our relationship. But I always wished more happiness for my mother than she could ever grasp. It seems that somehow those little mtDNA carried me through, informed, defined and strengthened me but left her bereft, somehow alone. And so, this saying by Patricia Lynn Reilly is for women everywhere, and is what I wish for you, Mom. Happy Belated Birthday.

Imagine a Woman:

Imagine a woman who believes it is right & good she is woman. A woman who honors her experience and tells her stories. Who refuses to carry the sins of other within her body or her life.

Imagine a woman who believes she is good. A woman who trusts & respects herself. Who listens to her own needs and desires, and meets them with tenderness and grace.

Imagine a woman who has acknowledged the past's influence on the present. A woman who has walked through her past. Who has healed into the present.

Imagine a woman who authors her own life. A woman who exerts, initiates, and moves on her own behalf. Who refuses to surrender except to her truest self and to her wisest voice.

Imagine a woman who names her own gods. A woman who imagines the divine in her image and likeness. Who designs her own spirituality and allows it to inform her daily life.

Imagine a woman in love with her own body. A woman who believes her body is enough, just as it is. Who celebrates her body and its rhythms and cycles as an exquisite resource.

Image a woman who honors the face of the Goddess in her changing face. A woman who celebrates the accumulation of her years and wisdom. Who refuses to use precious energy disguising the changes in her body and life.

Imagine a woman who values the women in her life. A woman who sits in circles of women. Who is reminded of the truth about herself when she forgets.

Imagine yourself as this woman.