Last night I had a wonderful unplanned night. Everything I had planned cancelled at the last minute. Leaving me the time to go to a friend’s house, between dropping off and picking up children, to hang out with a group of women. 12 of us. Diversified in our own right. From Bermuda. Ireland. Canada. England. Switzerland. America. All together sharing a common bond of womanhood. Sisterhood.
Exchanging stories ranging from books, to breasts, to love, to desires. To tattoos. To men. To menopause. That’s the beauty of a woman circle. Nothing is off limits. Nothing is out of bounds. We share when the energy is right. We affirm each other. Let each other know we are okay. We are not alone.
Drinking wine. Eating food. No one outdoing the other. Each woman bringing her own story. Sharing as much of herself as she could and wanted to. Talking. No boundaries. No borders. Different cultures. All of us in our late forties and up. Reminiscing about life. No one judging. Some of us strangers at first. But by the end we were hugging each other like we were long lost friends. The differences between us blurring with the commonality of womanhood. Humankind. Of the fact that no matter where we come from we are all the same at the core. With the common quest for a sense of belonging. Of understanding. Of love.
A wonderful end to what began as a sad day. I felt my mother watching over me. Through the eyes of every woman that was there. Surrounding me. Embracing me with that womanly love. That love that can be so strong. Full of compassion when we allow it to flow naturally. Then towards the end, a teenage daughter of one of the women came out to join in our circle of women. Snapping photos of us randomly. Capturing the spirit of the moment. The essence of the woman spirit. I looked across at the young lady hoping she will do as we women were doing, continue the circle of women. Passing the energy around. Giving each other something special, filling each other’s well.
And then the night was over for me as I had to rush off to pick up my son. Filled to the brim with the love, compassion and sharing of 12 women who had sat around in a circle passing the talking stick from one to the other. Giving each other the strength and confidence to be.
To my friend who organised it and brought us together. Women from all walks of life Women from different cultures. Women from different beliefs. Reminding us we are all the same no matter where we come from. Thank you.
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About Catherine Duffy – A woman in search of truth. A wife trying to love unconditionally. A mother trying to raise good citizens. A writer bursting through. Enjoying life’s journey. Catherine can be found @duffy_catherine and on her blog from Bermuda · http://bermudacat.blogspot.com.