Happy Birthday to EWE!

I am not a writer, nor do I really want to become one. What I am is a woman. I am a daughter, and a mother of women. I have a very busy life, mostly serving other women while they do what is uniquely woman's work, specifically, conceiving, birthing, and nurturing children. I have given birth to 9 children of my own and have witnessed the births of somewhere around 650 other babies while attending to their mothers. Although I have 'paused' from physically giving birth, I have begun to feel the stirrings of a new idea growing inside me. Today the labor has begun and I give birth to this blog.

There are women who are completely satisfied with their entire lives out there somewhere, I am sure of, but there are many of us who are mostly, sometimes, or rarely satisfied with our lives. It is to these of which this blog is written, hoping to help you feel that you are not alone and why it is so important to feel a part of the flock.
I also welcome posts from those of you who have found complete happiness and why.

I chose the EWE acronym which stands for Every Woman Everywhere Matters. A ewe of course is a female sheep. Sheep have since biblical times been used as an example of mildness, meekness, followers, and needing a shepherd to guide them. There is also a great story or parable about the lost sheep, which the shepherd went out of his way to find even though there were plenty of other sheep to take care of. This is how I feel about the women in my life, each one being so important that if any one became lost, I would go out of my way to find her and bring her back in to safety. For as I have traveled through life, I know that we are safer together. I believe that we are tribal sisters and that the fruit canning and quilting bees that our grandmothers attended where just reasons to come together to fill each others cups and replenish each others hearts.

I do admit that I relate to the sheep visual for other reasons. First, I am a knitter. This alone should suffice as the only reason to love sheep but second, I love the whole flock idea. I grew up in a flock with 4 sisters and a single mom/sister and we have been flocking together every chance we get. As soon as I could, I began my own flock and now am the mother of 9 and grandmother Tuki to 16 with 3 more due this year. I have counseled with many women who did not grow up in the same way and have expressed to me their desire to find their flock now.

Flock wisdom keeps balance, adds insight, comforts and consoles. When I gave birth to my 8th baby, a beautiful little girl who never cried, I was surrounded by a flock of women who had similar experiences of which I had never known about until then. I had felt like I was completely alone in my grief and then these wonderful women who had beautiful stories began to share and I was no longer alone. I was strengthened by them and was comforted to see that they were smiling again. It gave me so much to hold on to.

My favorite daydream is that I would be living in a village where daily walks to the market would yield groceries for the evening meal as well as a little time to meet at the well, or come together to admire each others children, exchange a recipe or give comfort and support. I do feel that our society is separating us from each other and that it is easier to break us as single reeds.

So, I write and I express my love for the women individually and the flock as a whole. I hope that you know that you are not alone and that I am feeling your heart's desire to be honored for who you are, and celebrated.

Happy Birthday to EWE!


:Blog Disclaimer: No men are or will be harmed by this blog. It is not about them. It is not intended to bash them in any way. In fact, I believe that when women are happy and proud of themselves (otherwise known as self-worth), they are more likely to be appreciative of, and show greater love, to the men in their lives.