Today is the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day. Learn more about celebrating 100 years of women’s achievments here.
Tragically, today too many women around the world still can not vote, open bank accounts, study or get advanced education, do work of their choice, marry the person of their choice or live a life different from their culture’s expectations with dignity. Too many women are still stoned for adultery (as if men don’t participate), killed at birth for not being male, or treated as family servants and slaves. In too many places rape is still seen as something that women bring on themselves, rather than as a crime of violence, power, violation and abuse.
Read Lisa Shannon’s powerful and moving book, A Thousand Sisters documenting the treatment of women in the Congo, for example.
Throughout most of human history (until the last century) women have been considered property – owned by men. That is still true in many places today. In the United States, these same conditions have only been alleviated for women within the last century. I am keenly aware that only within the last twenty years would I have been allowed to attend a Catholic seminary in order to receive my M.Div. degree.
But huge changes have come in my lifetime. In the United States, since the 1960’s, women can now open bank accounts without their husbands or fathers co-signing. Their confidential medical files are no longer shared on their husbands’ requests. While the glass ceiling exists, more women continue moving into positions of authority in business and in politics. Meanwhile, men are becoming more involved in family life. Bringing balance to both genders is good for families and for society.
Women comprise more than half the world’s population. What is good for women is ultimately good for their children, their families, their communities and the world.
It’s interesting to reflect on the jewelry we keep. Heart-shaped earrings and a “diamond” necklace were given to me by my oldest daughter when she was about ten years old. They always stay in my jewelry box. She also gave me a pink art pin that I keep. Her gifts remind me of her giving nature, how excited she was to give them to me and how fond I am of those memories of her from that time. If you have children you most likely keep any jewelry they gave you too.
One of the oldest necklaces I have is a silver cross given to me by my grandfather for my First Communion – but I have never worn it.
Photo Brighton.com
My friend T has given me many beautiful pieces of jewelry over the years. I often wear an elegant gold leaf necklace she recently gave me. But more often than not I wear the Brighton charm bracelet she gave me that was created to support Breast Cancer Research. It reminds me of her but also of women whose lives have been changed by this disease.
When they were young, my daughters each received a charm bracelet from me. Over the years many charms were added from various family vacations and trips.
Another good friend gave me a necklace hand-crafted with beach glass. This reminds me of our search for a beach house and a life on the beach. It also helps me remember to be grateful that I already live a “beachy” life. And still another pair of earrings made from Venetian glass, keep me close to a good friend when I wear them.
Of course I treasure my wedding ring. My husband has given me some other pieces I enjoy, including a black coin pearl necklace and earrings. At Gooseberry Falls he gave me earrings from local artists that still remind me of our time there.
Time and time pieces . . . Do you wear a watch? Most of my adult life I wore gold Citizen watch. But ten years ago, when it broke, I bought a replacement watch on clearance for $3.99 and it’s still going strong. I wear it every day. Interestingly, it stopped when we were in Costa Rica. Great – now I could finally get a better watch. But then, it started working once we returned home. Evidently I wasn’t supposed to keep track of time during our travels there – live in kairos time not chronos time. Lose track of time. Then we are truly present.
Amulets, crystals and charms always attract my attention. They often have rich symbolism and good energy. Do you wear crystals or stones for their energy or healing properties? What stones attract you? When do you wear them?
Do you ever purchase jewelry hand-made or crafted by local artisans?
Photo Bead For Life
Ten Thousand Villages sells Fair Trade jewelry that I like. If you have a store near you, support them or order through the link above in their catalog. Another option is Bead for Life jewelry hand-crafted by African women from recycled magazines.
What about simplifying my life and jewelry? As far as buying expensive jewelry, diamonds and most pricey gemstones are off my list because of all the pain and suffering of the workers, especially children, enslaved to mine them. Watch the movie Blood Diamond to learn more. Besides, I’d rather use the money as a donation to Mary’s Pence.
Looking through my costume jewelry, I donated everything not used that had no sentimental value. Again, the idea was to keep what works with clothes I wear now. In this way someone else can enjoy them.
What pieces of jewelry do you keep? What has meaning for you?
In this year of not buying clothes, I’ve been trying to simplify my wardrobe. Much has already been accomplished. Clothes I rarely wore or that didn’t fit comfortably (read didn’t fit flatteringly) were donated. That freed up tons of space in my closet. Then I looked at color. Colors that worked together and looked good on me, I kept. Items in colors that worked with only one or two other items were banished from my closet.
Next I took a good hard look at maintenance. In the apparel industry almost all beautiful fabrics can be made to be machine washable. Even cashmere is now combined with cotton to retain the luxury feel but allow for machine washing. The same goes for wool and silk. So items that need dry cleaning or ironing are really not worth it for me anymore.
So a maintenance view of my closet allowed me to remove items that required dry cleaning or absolutely needed ironing. There are a couple of linen blouses that I sometimes iron. However, they still look good and are wearable even in the “washed linen” state – so I kept them.
Then I took a close look at blazers, dresses and skirts. Basically, I almost never wear them. Recently we went to a wedding – and even then I wore dressy wide-leg slacks. So blazers, dresses and skirts were donated. Without dresses and skirts you really don’t need hosiery, slips and high heels. If I don’t wear them why have them?
Where to shop? I look for local clothing stores and Fair Trade whenever possible. Trade Winds is a shop I like on Grand Ave. in St. Paul. Beautiful clothing AND Fair Trade. Nearby is Ten Thousand Villages – also Fair Trade.
(As the commenter below mentioned, consider consignment stores and reuse clothing stores. Encore and Elite Repeat in St. Paul carry a nice selection of current women’s clothing.)
Currently I don’t worry about purses or handbags. I simply don’t use them. It’s easier to carry a small wallet and my phone in my pocket. Ta da! That eliminates shopping or maintaining a wardrobe of purses.
Numerous pairs of shoes are off my list too. I really only wear the negative heel of Earth shoes because as a professor I am on my feet for three to six hours at a time. They keep my back feeling great. So great, in fact, that I wanted to wear them all the time. In the end about six to eight pairs of shoes (boots, sandals, oxfords, dress, mules and beach sandals) cover +95% of my life. Leather items will be the next place where I take a good, hard, look.
What did I keep were scarves. I adopted the idea of wearing scarves when I lived in Paris many years ago. French women make excellent use of scarves as they have high quality – but limited item wardrobes. Scarves are a great way to add the latest color or look to any wardrobe inexpensively. They can work as a necklace or around your waist or over slacks as a sarong. They protect my neck and shoulders from the sun in the summer. As a fair-skinned person this is VERY important. And of course if you saw my furoshiki post, you know that scarves can even be pressed into service as a shopping bag or evening bag.
The end result of all of this is that getting dressed has become really easy. I enjoy what I wear and feel good in it. It looks good too. Space and time have been added to my life. I like that!
Maybe my next post on simplifying my wardrobe I will post an actual picture of my closet. It’s getting to the point where I really could!
So this is what I’ve accomplished so far. These ideas work for me – but certainly won’t work for everyone. What do you think? Do any of these ideas work for you? Do you have other suggestions or ideas?
In the previous post I discussed how increased income disparity caused by the power of global multi-nationals is creating a world we do not want to live in.
But what can you and I do? We are not victims, nor are we uninvolved bystanders, we are participants. We are not powerless, we vote with our dollars, time and actions.
I promised you some suggestions. Here are ten for your consideration. If you are already doing some of these – yeah!!! If not, start now!
1. Social change starts inside. We can explore our own values. Know what they are and live in a way that brings integrity to the best within ourselves. Eliminate any violence (physical, mental, emotional, verbal) in your own life. Meditate. Reflect. Pray.
2. Education. We need to become educated regarding the real nature of poverty. Get your news from sources other than American news companies. Read how other countries perceive events in the world. (Jerusalem Post, Al-Masry Al-Youm, Der Spiegel).
3. Read. Read. Read. Most of what we need to know can’t be found on TV. TV is junk food for the mind. Read how U.S. policies have affected other countries. Books like Mark Kramer’s Dispossessed and Jeffrey Sach’s The End of Poverty provide a good foundation and a bibliography of other resources. Request that these books and others be available in your local library. Other books include The Blue Sweater, Three Cups of Tea and Half the Sky.
4. Volunteer and donate to non-profits such as Bread for the World or Mary’s Pence, working with networks of women to solve the problem of poverty – not just provide charity.
5. If your church or community offers mission trips to poverty stricken areas – go. Talk to those struggling with poverty. Listen and learn from them the problems they face every day for clean water, food, housing. We would not last a day in their world. Or arrange a dialogue with some of the working poor in your city through your church or community organization. Find out what life is like for many right in your own community.
6. Buy Fair Trade and local products whenever possible. Buy produce from your local Farmer’s Market. Know where the things you purchase come from and how those who make them are paid.
7. Learn how extreme weather caused by climate change particularly impacts the global south, the two thirds world – creating more poverty. Drive less. Carpool. Walk more. Use public transportation when you can. Consolidate your trips. Fly less often. Shop less. Consume less. Live more simply.
8. Work to end sexism, racism and “isms” of all kinds. Discrimination moves billions of dollars unfairly from one group to another. Begin with suggestions in a previous post here. In the Twin Cities we have an inter-faith discussion group. Join us or start one in your community. Learn about the different (“different” not worse) values and perceptions of other faith traditions. Hear others’ stories and share your own.
9. Become active in local politics. Meet with your local politicians. Participate with many others in “A Day on the Hill” – a joint religious advocacy gathering today at the State Capital. Or work with MICAH for affordable housing in your community. All change starts locally.
10. What else can we do?
The ability to develop deep relationships beyond our own family (clan, social class, nation) and connect with others who are different than ourselves is what it means to become truly human. This is compassion. This is what brings depth and meaning to life.
We are part of the human family and the web of creation. Just like with our own families – this family will not be healthy and whole until each member is healthy and whole.
This is not an easy task. Certainly it is not an instant or quick-fix task. But neither is it an impossible task. Rather, it takes education, listening, connecting and be willing to make different choices. Come with me on the journey!
If you are buying chocolate this Valentine’s Day – look for Divine Chocolate. It’s Fair Trade. All proceeds go directly to the cooperative. It’s delectable.
I took a little time to explore the word love – its history, meanings and etymology. This exploration took me on an interesting journey. Come along with me.
As a noun love can mean “affection” and “friendliness.” As a verb it means “to care” or “to desire.”
Another word with the same meaning was the word “believe,” from the Old English belyfan. Originally “believe” meant “to hold dear,” or “to desire.”
In the late 12th century we find the word “belief” from the Old English geleafa, meaning “hold dear” or “love.” Originally, it was not connected in any way with our modern idea of religion or faith.
Jesus understood this original meaning (Mark 2:5, 5:34, 10:52, 11:22). The word in the original Greek of the New Testament is pistis. Jesus exclaimed that God healed because of the recipients’ own pistis – to have belief in this sense of “to hold dear,” and “to desire.” Pistis can be translated “to have faith” from the Latin root word fidere, meaning “to commit to,” or “to trust.” Jesus was clear that God healed wherever there was trust, desire and commitment – in other words surrender to something larger than oneself.
A theological meaning for the word “faith” as in “faith that Jesus was God” doesn’t attach to the word until the late 14th century.
Lastly I looked up another word often used along with the word “love” – the word “compassion.” Its root meaning is “to suffer with” (Latin, com-pati). This is the ability to see the world through someone else’s eyes; to identify with someone so closely that we suffer with them when they suffer. This requires being open enough to come to know the other person, no matter how different they are, or how much we may think we dislike them.
In the end, our growth comes through our commitment and desire to become compassionate – the ability to suffer with others. To move beyond the Golden Rule of treating others the way we want to be treated – to knowing enough about others to treat them the way they want to be treated.
Photo Think Sicily.com
Now this is romance. This will allow us to fall in love with the world – right where we are, as we are. No chocolate, flowers or date required. This is the ultimate romance that will change the world.
Fall in love with the world and life becomes very romantic. Do what you love with people you enjoy. Then you will be living a fabulous life. If romance with another person crosses your path, well that is just icing on this already many-layered cake!
Treat yourself for Valentine’s Day – Bread and Tulips is a film about falling in love with life – and accepting it as it really is – rather than how we would like it to be. Once we truly accept the reality of our lives we can make real changes to live authentically and with integrity. Ladder of Years by Anne Tyler is a provacative book along the same lines.
A special Valentine’s Day message to my DH – You bring out the best in me. Sharing our life journeys has been an unexpected gift. It is a joy to live with someone who shares my values and passion for social justice. I admire your volunteer work and writing to move the political discourse in our community forward. Your ability to listen and share thoughtfully keep me grounded. You find beauty in unexpected places. Life with you is the best Valentine!
Tragically, today too many women around the world still can not vote, open bank accounts, study or get advanced education, do work of their choice, marry the person of their choice or live a life different from their culture’s expectations with dignity. Too many women are still stoned for adultery (as if men don’t participate), killed at birth for not being male, or treated as family servants and slaves. In too many places rape is still seen as something that women bring on themselves, rather than as a crime of violence, power, violation and abuse.
