Happy International Women’s day everyone!

Every year the 8th of March is a day for celebrating women. Yay! There are lots of events and campaigns going on and you should definitely pop over to internationalwomensday.com to see what you can get involved in.

I’d like to share with you just some of the amazing women who I am privileged to know and who inspire me daily.

First up had to be my mum. She is an amazing lady and one of my best friends. She owns her own business (anyone need some PR?), she’s creative and compassionate, she keeps me dreaming and grounded at the same time. She has always fought my corner and taught me to fight for myself. She laughs with me, cries with me and I wouldn’t be who I am without her. She also fostered my love of art, books and chocolate, and makes amazing scones and clementine cake. What more could a girl want in her mum? I only hope and pray that one day my kids will feel about me the way I feel about her.

Next up is my gran. She is flat out incredible and one of the strongest people I know. She has had a lot of ups and downs to deal with and always does so with so much grace, constantly putting other people before herself. She has fostered children, adopted animals, and you just ask her about the time she invited a homeless man for Christmas dinner! She pulls our family together with her constant outpouring of love and makes us laugh and share in all good things. Our annual ‘gathering of the clan’ is always a much anticipated event, even now most of  ‘the cousins’ are all grown up. We are such a close and happy family, and it’s mostly down to her.

The last lovely ladies I am going to talk about are by no means least. They are my two best friends in the whole wide world and I love them to pieces. Rachel and Heather are my cornerstones. They are completely different people but both equally amazing, loving, supportive, encouraging, fun, inspiring and loyal. They are both my sisters from another mother, and so important in my life, I would be lost without them. They are my go to girls to share good news and bad, to giggle with, to sob with, to eat chocolate and drink cocktails with. They also totally get me. And love me flaws and all.

There are ton’s more amazing ladies I could tell you about. I could tell you about my awesome mother-in-law and how encouraging, generous and talented she is. I could tell you about my sister-in-law and how smart and thoughtful and fun she is. I could tell you about my grandma and how constant and loving she was. I could tell you about my step-mum and how strong and determined and lovely she is. I could tell you about all the girls I dance with and how our Monday evenings are more entertaining than anything you’ll find on TV, how they are my own little friend-family. I could tell you about my youth work mentors and the incredible work they do and how important their guidance and friendship has been. I could tell you about women I have known all my life and women I have only met once, women who I have never met but who’s words or work has had an impact on my life. But then I’d be typing FOREVER, and this is already a pretty long post.

Suffice to say there are some super wonderful women in this world and I am blessed to know those I know. So I’d like to send lots of love to these lovely ladies and thank them for all that they are and all that they do. You. Are. Awesome! 🙂

Who are some women who inspire you?