Women's History Month 🚺 The Women Who Inspire Us

@ Heather225

To me, a woman who really inspired me is a former classmate. She’s been through a lot and she’s honest with that. She engages in a lot of projects and is everything but a bystander. She’s embracing her style and showing confidence even in her most nervous moments. She’s vulnerable while being strong. That is so impressive to me, every time I see her 🌸✨

Also, I wanna highlight @Ailuraphilelove8tear9 and @Amanda84 for being so kind, supportive and welcoming 💖

@Heather225

My mother inspires me as she is kind, caring, protective and she sacrificed everything to give us a better life. She's selfless, beautiful and my best friend 🩵🤗

A woman in history who inspired me is Rosa Parks and standing up for equality and for what she believed in 🧡🤗

On cups, there's many wonderful women, but one id like to mention is @Shadowfaerie who fosters a sense of safety and equality here, offering support and friendship to all the women here, engaging and fostering wonderful discussions, her creativity, her passion and her welcome are unmatched 🩷🤗

My grandmothers. Both of them were such fierce fighters, so dedicated to life. They both struggled so much, and yet gave me the happiest memories of my childhood. I miss them both dearly and carry their love with me everywhere I go.

My grandmother was the most amazing woman I have ever known. She exemplified strength, resilience, grace and love. She was my rock and taught me how to tap into my own inner strength and wisdom. Her example helped me through many difficult times. I honor and cherish her memory every day. 

I have met so many brilliant women here on Cups over the past eleven years! They have inspired me in so many ways. 

@Lou73 and @CalmRosebud who have been incredible mentors and examples of excellence, support, encouragement and leadership. 

@Jenna and @AnnaSilverberg for their knowledge, guidance, support and friendship in the LSR. 

@Amanda84 who is such a wonderful, kind, supportive and empathetic presence in the Women's Issues subcommunity and beyond! Her responses to posts in the forum are like a warm hug. She makes people feel seen. 

@SolitaryBird whose presence in the Sharing Circle is welcoming, warm and exemplifies that kindness and empathy is a strength. 

@InsightfulPhoenix for helping me tap into my own strengths and empowerment. 

These are just a few of the many incredible, impactful, strong women who uplift other women that I have had the privilege of meeting here on Cups. 

@Heather225 I think there are few women's in life that I really look forward to attaining some qualities from. First would be my sister of course she is brave practical intelligent and just knows her way around people, she isn't scared of people and knows how to handle a situation she went through a lot silently and she always stood strong throughout that time also how kind she is . 

2nd one would be my mother, she is an awesome lady, puts her family first and always her children, would ask me to focus on my studies she will do the chores, she took care of my grandparents till their death while none of my other family members came to help, she still whenever my sister comes home from college prepared a whole feast for her, packs a lot of dishes my mum keeps track of everyone's birthday.

3. Third would be actually my principal from high school, she was also the head of some major exams conducted throughout the country and not only that her husband died a lot earlier in the life so she took care of the whole family, her personality matches a lot with my sister, one of the most coolest thing about her would be she went to a solo trip to Europe until then I had not seen a female in real life so independent and making her way around the world. 

4. Actually there are so many people, like the tenant women, how she was managing her son's education with the job while away from her family . 

5. Would be the househelp aunty, she is like my friend and she is very friendly where she works for like hours and I also like how even though she is uneducated she like manages the finances well, I have heard people say women don't do the labour work, I mean come and see, you would find women's at construction sites with their babies on the back holding tons of brick and after this they would go home and also cook food. 

6. The women's at my uncle's place, my cousin sister, they do household chores, they also go help in the farm , take care of the cattles with that they study a lot and score really good. 

The most amazing thing about all these women is there ability to stay happy and positive regardless of whatever the situation is, I never seen like them complaining about their life, they are always looking positive. I remember I once complained to my sister that how it is ridiculous cause we are born at a place like this we lack so many oppertunities, to which she replied it is still better than being born at places where there are wars and everything. 

@shadowfaerie

You had me at: “My grandmother.” My grandmother also was a wonderful and powerful example for me throughout my life. She not only took me in at birth, but she somehow made me feel like her favorite, even with many other grandchildren. She was a pioneer of living her life as an example of love and service to others, while retaining always her bubbly charisma and mischievous attitude towards life. I had many chances to experience her adventurous nature since she lived to 100. I aspire to be one iota as brave and practical as she. Memory Eternal.

As far as women on 7 Cups, well, there are so many. You mentioned some key names for me: @Lou73, who has been a constant friend along with being a Leader of Hosts of Sharing Circles, @Amanda84, who responds to nearly everyone with compassion and endless hugs, @SolitaryBird, whose appearance in Sharing Circles is always so welcome, since she adds that steady presence so needed when people arrive in distress.

I’ll add a few more, certainly @ShadowFaerie, who took being a mentee to a whole new level by running Women’s Circles along with her other hosting on this site, and who continues to provide influence and input on women’s issues through her work.

@sunisshiningandsoareyou, who continues to post loving and enveloping greetings inviting insight and thoughtful inquiry of our inner selves.

@jennysunrise8, who is an old-timer, whose threads I read avidly for tips on helping members with certain problems. I am sure I would like jenny very much.

@rarelycharlie, who I don’t know if they are a woman or a man or fluid (they prefer not to say and it doesn’t matter in the end) who developed some fine materials on dealing with people who are in distress (the 8^th cup) which somehow got buried in the 7 cups archives, but which are relevant to this day.

@iampapaya, who was one of my first friends on cups and who is not here anymore to my knowledge though I will always remember her.

@neonblueberry1843, who isn’t on cups anymore that I know, but who was always willing to dissect some interaction until we both felt at least temporarily that we had solved the problems of the world.

@insightfulphoenix, who hosted even with a toddler in tow, and brought the importance of consideration for neurodivergence to the foreground when hosting, allowing us to understand how to accommodate and yet enrich the discussions with her presence. I appreciated her contributions mightily. 

@tinywhisper11, whose humor and beauty shined within groups, even while combating a devastating past. I haven’t seen her around much and if she is around, I would like to give her a warm hug. 

@sandi (I’m not sure of her call name at the present time), who presented power and joy through her lived experience.

@AffyAvo, who shines as an advocate for the disability community forum, and through her kind example of a person who cares.

@pamharley003, @adventurousbranch, @amiablepeace77, CalmWhisper22, and crystaldawn76, and jesusredeemedme2425, who keep the Mindfulness and 50+ community discussions going strong. 

@soulsings, @LisaMeighanMScGMBPsS and AshleyNFlewellenLPC, who keep the Therapy Forum going with their invitations to therapists to hop on and share their wisdom, as well as their prompts for thoughtful inquiry. 

@Heather225 and @LisaMeighanMScGMBPsS, and Sophiaat7Cups, who have all contributed mightily to update the crisis links and who have patiently nudged and cajoled the All Powerful Engineer to perform their magic, and since the Engineer is probably a woman as well, let’s just give a hats off to her also in anticipation for her fine job. 

There are so many others, and I’ll probably kick myself (in the brain, gently, in a manner of speaking) later for not mentioning them.

Shine on, Women of 7 Cups. The future is ours. Let’s go!

With love ♡ and courage 💪🏽,

Cal 🌹

@Heather225

Who is a woman who inspires you to keep going and embrace your own strength?

My mom inspires me to keep going and embrace my own strength. She didn't give up on me when I gave up on myself. She pushes me to be the independent and confident woman she always aspired to be.

@Heather225 My biggest inspiration is not one of my blood, but she means everything to me. She is my best friend's mother, who often protected me and gave me a place to belong. She's a single mother who is raising her son the best she can, and she works multiple shifts, mostly coming back at midnight and leaving again in the early morning. Despite it all, she's loved me like her own daughter and always welcomed me into her house because of how my family sometimes treats me. She's the strongest woman, no, person, I know. I hope one day I'll be able to help her settle down and retire peacefully for all that she's done for me.