In Celebration of International Women’s Day: Amazing Women Everywhere
Lisa Ling is one of my favorite CNN journalists.Who doesn’t admire our amazing First Spouse? She is incredible!
I have written many articles about amazing women. Each one of them makes a considerable contribution, as do many of the women we hold as role models such as Michelle Obama, Jane Goodall, Gloria Steinem, Hillary Clinton, Dr Sylvia Earle, and those role models who have left us, such as Maya Angelou, Mother Teresa, Rosa Parks…there are so many of them, so valued, so respected.
But what about every day women who are making a difference? Who praises them? Hopefully someone does. I hope each one of us does our best to make the world a better place, in our own way. I could not possibly give you a complete list of the women I admire, there are simply too many of them. Some of them would not want to come out of the shadows, would not want any links leading to their online presence. I will respect that, but I still want to try and acknowledge them. Others are bloggers, or activists, or scientists, or business women who are online and would not mind my sharing.
Why do we have a day to celebrate women? Women are still not equal in our world. Women do not earn the same as men do, the biological fact that women carry children holds them back professionally, men in most societies do not man up and do their share of raising children or taking care of the home. Women are still bought and sold against their will, undergo genital mutilation, are sold into marriages they do not want, and forced to hide their very faces from the world. Women still have to fight for every inch of ground. Damned right we should celebrate women! Here is a small group of women whom I admire, and who are making a difference simply by living their lives.
International women indeed! USA Elnora, USA moi, New Zealand’s Fin, Canada’s Annie, Mexico’s Isabella, Scotland’s Lauren, and Andrea, living in Mozambique. Helping conserve our oceans and marine life.International women doing volunteer work for ALL OUT AFRICA in Mozambique! Saving our oceans! England’s Suzanne, USA, Switzerland’s Leslie, Germany’s Jasmine and Daniella.Diana is an incredible photographer, and everyone who sees her photos is inspired to help conserve our waters! Vikki Claffin’s blog, Laugh Lines! is a funny, irreverent look at life! How many people who have Parkinson’s laugh through life? Inspiring.Juetta Myers West is a long time friend, from junior high school. We have reconnected, and she is living her dream, she created Turn it On by Juetta West, a crossover line of athletic fashion wear! Pretty daring! An example to all who are afraid to take a risk.REEF Survey Team 2015 St Lucia. Check out these amazing and international women! Making diving matter by doing fish surveys, an important job in making sure our reefs and ocean are healthy!Lois has a Midlife Oasis! She is a great example of a midlife woman living an amazing life! Inspiration abounds at her site!Kimberly Montgomery has a midlife blog called Fifty Jewels, and is a founder of the new online magazine, Making Midlife Matter, along with Elena Peters and Ashley Radar. A great example for us all…we all need to make our lives matter!Ashley Radar of Making Midlife Matter.Elena Peters of Making Midlife Matter.Sharon Hodor Greenthal is a blogger, and a founder of Midlife Boulevard, an online magazine for midlife women, a blogger, AND about.com‘s parenting adults expert! She is full of knowledge and a great example of midlife reinvention!Suzanne Stavert of Adventures of Empty Nesters. Suzanne is blogging about having life as an adventure with her husband Craig! Inspiring others to do the same, she sets a wonderful example to us all.Hélène Tragos Stelian is an active midlife woman, writing books and devoting herself to her blog, Next Act for Women. Hélène blogs about what women are doing with midlife, their “next act”. She writes about amazing women…every woman on her blog is an inspiration.Shannon O’Donnell is a 2013 National Geographic Traveler of the Year. Shannon travels the world, and while doing so, she volunteers and has written a book about grassroots volunteerism. Her blog is A Little Adrift, and check out her book, The Volunteer Traveler’s Handbook.Ruth Curran of Cranium Crunches! Ruth has an amazing story! She suffered a traumatic head injury…and this injury spurred her to a Master’s degree and a great book, Being Brain Healthy. She is also a scuba diver, always admirable in my book, and has done volunteer tourism. Nancy Hill of The Women’s Legacy Project. Inspiring women to tell their stories! Check out this blog…it is filled with remarkable women!Jane Goodall is one of my heroes, and I am so excitied that she is coming to Arlington Texas to speak at the University of Texas! I will be covering the event on my blog, Travels with Tam.
I do believe that Veronica James is an original. She and her husband sold up and headed out when their last spawn checked out. Their book, Going Gypsy, is terrific! So is their blog, Gypsynesters!Nancy is a realtor in Alpharetta, Georgia and has received many awards for her achievements…but her crowning glory is SHAMROCKIN’ FOR A CURE. She and her husband helped found this charity which donates to Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and have served on its board ever since. Generous woman!Dr Andrea Marshall is a conservationist pioneer, the first person who did a PhD on Manta Rays. Her charisma and relentless advocacy has put Mantas on the protected lists. Check out her organization, www.marinemegafauna.org.“For 28 years, Denise Herzing has spent five months each summer living with a pod of Atlantic spotted dolphins, following three generations of family relationships and behaviors. It’s clear they are communicating with one another — but is it language? Could humans use it too? ” Check her research out at the TED Talks!Carol Cassera believes that we all recreate ourselves through living our best lives. She explores life after death, humor, and everyday experiences. All of her posts are interesting!
Lyn is an amazing woman. How many lives has she contributed to? She has worked for and with children for the last 25 years, through handling international adoptions to working with behavior problem children. She is a strong, admirable, and inspirational woman…a shy woman, so I won’t give too much information!
Holly is a bright and shining example of a person who is truly wonderful. Sweet, loving, compassionate, funny. Other than my brother, she is probably the first person alive who saw me when my parents brought me home at 6 months old. Holly is celebrated for all the wonderful things she has done for everyone. There isn’t an unkind bone…or cell…within her. I have always looked up to her, even though I am considerably taller than she is. Wonderful, wonderful woman.Cathy Chester, author of An Empowered Spirit. Cathy is amazing…she writes a health blog, and keeps up her spirits, and everyone else’s, by sharing her life with us. Cathy has MS, but she lives with it, manages it, and keeps on going. Truly amazing.My dear, dear, dear friend Lauri who has dealt with so many health issues and manages to live the fullest life you can imagine! Lauri has beaten cancer, and manages her MS beautifully. She keeps moving. She always says it’s no fun getting older, but since Lauri still runs around like a twenty year old, I don’t see it! And, she was right there with me when I needed it the most….when Randy was ill. Keep rocking it, Lauri!Deanna has a terrible disease and she has to fight every single day to keep it under control, and keep herself well. She suffers more than she admits, and always shows a positive face to others. Strong, strong woman.Dr Margaret Rutherford’s blog, Helping you Believe in Yourself, does just that, with positive and compassionate messages. Her background is of interest, and her advice is thoughtful and low key. A great woman.Ellen is helping every midlife woman deal with menopause and its effects. Bless you Ellen! Accept her help at www.ellendolgen.com!Shannon has led a remarkably diverse life. She has counseled troubled children and their families for several years, and volunteered at a school for troubled youth. She is multi-talented and is now lending her considerable strengths to real estate at www.wydlerbrothers.com in the greater DC area. Shannon always is a success through hard work and talent…no matter what she puts her hand to. Friends for life! We met when we were 12 or 13 and have been friends ever since.Doreen is amazing! Her book, The Stranger in My Recliner, is the story of how she and her husband literally took in an 80 year old woman off the street. What generosity! Obviously Doreen is a special woman.My dear, darling, good friend Jill is an inspiration and example to everyone who knows her. And she knows a lot of people. Why? Because she is truly a ray of sunshine. She just beams, all the time. She is such a great role model for all of us. Keep shining, Jillybean!Kathy has spent a lifetime in service to others. She served in the Peace Corps, in Camaroon, and returned home to become a Cellular Biologist. After teaching several years at a liberal arts college, she is now doing research on health issues. (This is my way of saying I don’t really understand what she is doing with those cells, but I know it is for something good.) I also have family bragging rights, as she is my cousin.This woman is the very definition of strength. And goodness. She is honest, loving, and 100% ethical. Her integrity is what I treasure most, I think. I won’t detail the issues she has dealt with, but take it from me, her strength is legend. Oh, and it is her birthday. Happy birthday to my cousin Lisa!
I have left out SO MANY WOMEN. Please, in your comments, tell us about a woman you think is amazing! Let’s acknowledge as many amazing women as we possibly can!
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Tam Warner
Award Winning Travel Journalist and Blogger, writing about Eclectic Travels in the Empty Nest! From scuba to luxury cruises to kayaking to expeditions, Tam is ready to go!
Contact me at travelswithtam@gmail.com