To all the women in my life.

To all the women in my life,

You are a vessel of life. Stronger than any thing in the universe.
You’ve all taught me power.
Power in my words, power in my decisions and power in my beauty.
You taught me strength. Not the strength of holding hurt in but strength in my ability to do whatever I choose to.
Strength to strive as far as I want and achieve as high as I want.
Strength to face adversity when it came.
Through your own achievements, through your advices, through your love and through your experiences, I learnt.

You showed me beauty in different colours and races, Success in different ages and backgrounds,
Freedom in different classes and social status.
I saw it all because you allowed me to and so I thank you.
You taught me perseverance.
To never give up on myself, to always keep my head up high when challenges come.
You taught me grace.
To always be classy even in the most difficult situations.
You taught me the power of fighting.
Fighting for the weak, for the oppressed and for the unequal.
You taught me love and kindness.
To never look down on anyone.
To not hurt people with my words and to never forget to love myself.
You taught me education, politics, finance and science.
You taught me maths, English and history.
Every single subject.
You made your mark in every topic, career and discovery.
Your diversity astounds me completely.

To the woman who birthed me and the one who birthed her.
To the women who inspired me from the TV, from their songs, from their footprints.
To the women who taught me, who embraced me, who loved me.
To the women who I’ve never met but spread their impact round the world.
To the women close to my heart and my life.
To my sisters, cousins, Aunties, friends.
Thank you for your gifts, thank you for your lessons and thank you for your fire.

To the women in my life,

Let us hold each other tighter.
We are stronger together. We are stronger when we uplift each other.
Love yourselves for you. Let the validation seeking stop.
Your power lies in you. You are strong, amazing and truly beautiful.
Dream big and chase those dreams.
Learn from the women before you and the women before them.
Allow their fire flow through you and control it.
Don’t let limitations hold you back.
Don’t let labels hold you back.
Don’t let any form of sexism or misogyny stop you from getting to your peak.
Today and always, celebrate all the women in your life and cherish them.
Love them louder but more genuinely.
I love you and I wish you more wins. It’s your time.

Happy International women’s Day. I’m Proud to be a woman!

– Ayokunle.