In Call the Midwife, I’m often struck by how often the women show up for one another, provide unconditional love and support, and expect nothing in return. In this show the idea that no woman will labor alone is quite moving and makes me wonder; do we still show up for each other in our time of need like these midwives did back then?
The truth is that I don’t have to go to a tv show to see how truly amazing women are and to know how well supported I am. This week I bore witness to the strength of a woman as she sat in front of me feeling weak and hopeless. There was no way to fix her problem, only time and space to share some love and encouragement, and to remind her of how truly strong she is.
Everywhere I look I see evidence of how truly strong women are. One doesn’t have to look far to see it. Whether in life, on screen or on the page, women have and will always find strength even during their weakest moments. In fact, we have to! Because let’s face it, if we didn’t, we’d run into some serious problems in ensuring the continuation of the human race!
If you need more convincing just take a look at Alice Hoffman’s The World that We Knew. This isn’t just a book about the holocaust. It’s a book about womanly strength. Of how women dig deep to find the “wolf within”.
Life can be complicated and the way can seem unclear. There are so many times when we have to bear down so that we can make it through just one more day. But it’s also resplendent with beauty and joy. With unimaginable generosity and goodness. With compassion and grace. Sometimes it is easy to see and sometimes it’s hidden like a rose in a bush of thorns.
The World that We Knew shows us that there is a certain magic deep within a woman that can be accessed in times of need. And indeed, there is magic in finding beauty where there is suffering. Of finding hope in the midst of despair. Of finding strength in a time of weakness.
When I think about about all the times I’ve needed a hand, or offered mine to hold someone up when they felt like they were falling, the magic was there. It wasn’t some kind of voodoo magic that is unexplainable. Rather, it’s a kind of quiet powerful magic that keeps women going even in the toughest of times and it’s a simple four letter word.
Love.
Love gives us strength when we feel we are at our weakest.
Love makes incredibly difficult times more manageable.
Love gives us a strength that is beyond measure.
Love is what gives us the strength to live on.
Love is makes you and me real.
So if you ever doubt if you have what it takes my dear reader, if you've ever wondered what is the point or what is my purpose in this world, the answer is simple. In whatever way shape or form it comes in, love is the answer.
And if you feel you haven’t got what it takes to do this, you haven't got the strength to carry on, or you can't see the way forward as you navigate this crazy world with all its unknowns, know that at this exact moment, you are strong enough to bear down and change the world; to breathe life into the darkness because you are strong even when you feel weak.
Because my dear, you are loved.
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