Can You Name Five Women in Your Personal Life Who Inspire You?

Or even more? Let us know.

That’s right.

Our theme this month is women.

And I wonder if we would be where we are today without the encouragement, support, hand-holding, and often tough love of other women in our lives.

Who are those women?

Some are sisters, either by blood or by choice.

Some might be mothers, daughters, aunts, or nieces. Maybe we have dozens of cousins who made a difference in our lives.

Friends. Teachers. Students. Bosses. Coworkers.

Or perhaps a chance encounter with a total stranger. One way to think about them is ‘friends we haven’t met yet.”

My friend Rev. Nancy Joy has a street ministry.

She strikes up conversations with people she meets on the street or in Safeway all the time. Maybe by complementing a sweater. Or, if they look a little down, she’ll offer them a prayer and a hug. Sometimes another ‘stranger’ will come up to get in on the blessings.

I’m not quite that gregarious. But I love hearing her stories. She inspires me. Makes me want to tag along when she goes ‘shopping.’

She spoke at our church today so no wonder she’s on my mind.

Which brings me to this week’s Middle-Pause Pump-Priming Prompt: Who in your personal life inspires you? And how do they inspire you? Focus on women, please.

Now that that’s clear, I’ll kick things off.

Which women in my life inspire me?

Most of them.

I surround myself with amazing women.

But I will highlight a few for you. Forgive me If I don’t mention all of my family members by name. They’re very protective of their privacy.

My sister.

She’s first and foremost, hands down.

Not just because she’s a conscientious veterinarian, among her city’s top ten, and Yelp is full of glowing reviews. I don’t have a pet.

But as Reverend Eloise used to say, how you do one thing is how you do everything. It’s true of my sister. She’s dedicated and compassionate to her family, especially her two daughters and two grandkids.

But not just. She gives compassionately to her church and her community. She once took five neighbor kids to see a touring production of Lion King when they came through town. And these are kids who’d never been to a live show, ever. This family is Mormon, and my sister and I are very liberal. She never let that stand in the way of being a good neighbor. Their kids take care of her plants when she travels.

We support each other with words of encouragement and prayers. And we’ve formed a team to support our mom as she goes through the kinds of changes that happen in your nineties.

Then there’s my non-biological sister, Debbie Walker.

While she’s not a vet, most of the rest of what I said above fits. However, the entourage of kids she surrounds herself with are related. She’s got a houseful of grandkids that she mommies. You may remember her story about ‘rescuing’ her baby granddaughter from a foster care situation fourteen years ago.

Debbie also inspires me and others because she’s often in constant, acute osteoarthritic pain while she’s attending to her family or to her sisters on Middle-Pause. She’s a fountain of new ideas, bigger visions, and constant encouragement. It’s been a true blessing to be on her team.

Meg Stewart inspires me.

You may remember she went through quite an ordeal with pneumonia in 2022. She was in a coma for six weeks or so. When she came out, her left arm and hand were messed up. And she had to learn to walk again. She did a stint in rehab and nurses and therapists cried to see her not just survive–which was not a given — but thrive.

Her struggle to recover is nothing short of heroic. She religiously does her hand and finger exercises, even though it hurts like hell. That’s how she’s gotten quite a bit of movement back. While still a WIP–work in progress–she’s back on our team and full speed ahead with mentoring her mentees. Thanks to Meg, I have an ebook coming out very, very soon, so stay tuned!

I have to mention my Aunt Lois.

My mom’s sister was always a favorite relative. She stopped and listened to me even as a little kid. She got down to my level, which my parents rarely did, and made me feel that what I had to say was important.

She encouraged me to volunteer at the preschool where she was the principal. And when I felt like I’d flubbed up, she reassured me I did fine. She’s the kind of soul who brought home live snails to make escargot with and ended up letting them go in the backyard.

She helped me through a very troubled adolescence when I was fourteen. At the same time, she didn’t let me get away with any crap. When I stayed with her, I had to be home by ten. Or else. Not wanting to experience that or else, I made it home by ten every time.

Thanks to her example, I wanted to be a teacher when I grew up. And there were times when I wanted to be like her, I wanted to be her. Period. She had a stroke and left us in 2016. In keeping with her omnipresent sense of humor, her last words were fooey, fooey, fooey.

Lois, I miss you. But I know you’re my guardian goose.

And last, but not least, my mom inspires me.

Almost ninety-four and still going strong! And when I say strong, she goes to her workout class five days a week and works out with weights. I went with her when I visited in November, and she and it kicked my butt.

It’s hard to admit your mom may be stronger than you, but in my case, I’m sure it’s true. She’s the matriarch of our family and looks out for everyone. She visits my cousin every day in their assisted living center and has made sure that her expenses will be provided for.

An avid knitter, she knits scarves and hats for unhoused people. Everyone I met at her facility calls her a sweetheart and tells me stories of how she blesses their lives. She makes sure no one’s sitting alone when she goes down to meals. And she’s a regular at Shabat services so Rabbi Debbie will have enough people — it takes ten — to hold the service.

Her memory’s starting to slip a bit, but she handles that and other changes with humor and grace. I hope to be blessed with her longevity and half of that attitude.

So that’s me. Now, it’s your turn.

Again the Pump-Priming Prompt: Who in your personal life inspires you? And how do they inspire you? Focus on women, please.

We look forward to hearing from all of you!

Marilyn Flower’s a sacred fool who writes every day — fiction, poetry, and blogs — inspired by a process called SoulCollage®. She’s the author of Creative Blogging and Bucket Listers: Get Your Brave On. Follow her Sacred Foolishness or SoulCollage® for Writers, and Stay in touch!