Thank You

So friends and followers, after one hundred posts and one hundred amazing and inspiring women, this blog finishes its mission. The last one hundred days have definitely taught me a lot as I researched and wrote about women who made a difference in their own hometowns, countries, or the world, for themselves and for others who needed them, and I hope you learned a little too. Sometimes our little struggles in life don’t seem quite so big when you think about the work Mother Theresa did or the perils Irena Sendler faced. It’s a little easier to look outside yourself when you think of what some women did for others and how they risked their own lives and safety out of compassion. And maybe our goals seem a little more achievable when we remember the things our heroines of the past achieved. I hope you learned something from this blog, but I really hope that you were inspired by something you read–inspired to be compassionate like Lou Xiaoying, brave like Harriet Tubman, smart like Marie Curie, enterprising like Biddy Mason, adventurous like Amelia Earhart, and willing to fight for you rights like Susan B. Anthony and the rest of the suffragists. Some of these women were leaders and politicians, and some were the greatest minds of their day, but many of them were just everyday people with a passion and a dream. But whoever they were, they all made a difference, and you can too. I hope you’ll be inspired to dream great dreams and to make a difference in your own life and your own world as the very special, strong, and kind person that you are. Thank you so much for all of the follows, likes, and views, and thank you for being a part of this journey with me. It’s been a blast.

Today, be inspired to…Make a difference. The world is changed by people like you.

Women of 9/11

Today is a day of remembrance in the United States, so this post is going to be a little different than usual. When hijacked planes crashed into the Twin Towers and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, hundreds of first responders, firefighters, paramedics, and police officers arrived on the scene of the disasters to help. Naturally, many of these responders were women, so I thought they deserved mentioning today, though I do include both men and women in this post. These responders extinguished flames, rescued people from precarious situations, administered life-saving medical aid, and provided direction and organization in the midst of chaos. They saw terrors we could never imagine, lost their friends and coworkers, worked hours on end with no sleep or rest, and struggled every minute to save just one more life. Many of our heroes gave their lives in service that day. Those that lived through the ordeal have to remember the devastation and injury they saw, the bodies recovered later through search efforts, the coworkers they lost. The families of those who didn’t come home that day are left with an ache that never stops. We owe a great, great debt to our women and men who serve in these jobs, not just in times like 9/11, but every single day. They put their lives on the line to protect and save our lives, and a little gratitude is a tiny thing in return. I don’t have an exhaustive list of all of the women who served during 9/11, but I’ve included a few below, just so you can have a few names to remind you of the very real, very courageous people that saved so many on that awful day. Look up a few of them to learn their individual stories.

Captain Kathy Mazza–Port Authority
Moira Smith–Police Officer
Yamel Marino—Paramedic
Lt. Brenda Berkman–Fire Department
Deputy Inspector Terri Tobin-NYPD
Officer Carey Policastro—Police Officer
Officer Carol Paukner–NYPD
Regina Wilson—Fire Department

See the entire list of those who died in service at respondersremembered.com

Today, be inspired to…Take a moment to be grateful and remember the sacrifices of the police officers, firefighters, paramedics, and other first responders who take care of us every single day.

Photo credit: trendsphoto.net

Annie Oakley

Sharp-shooter Annie Oakley showed us all what women can do with her excellent marksmanship and flare for performing. She learned how to shoot out of the necessity of poverty as a child and hunted game to feed her family and to sell, eventually managing to pay off her family’s mortgage with the money she made. Annie entered a shooting competition at the age of fifteen against marksman Frank Butler and won to the astonishment of all. Frank took the loss with good humor, and he and Annie married about a year later and began performing together. Annie could riddle a playing card with bullets before it touched the ground, shoot a hole through a coin tossed into the air, and even shoot a cigarette out of her obliging husband’s mouth (that’s true love, people). The couple later joined Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show where Annie earned the nickname “Little Sure Shot” and flaunted her shooting skills in front of Europe’s kings, presidents, and other heads of state. Annie Oakley was more than just a performer and a crack shot though. She supported the idea of women in combat, even volunteering herself and a group of fellow women shooters to assist in the Spanish-American war (she was turned down), and raised money for the Red Cross through shooting demonstrations. She strongly believed all women should learn to shoot for both exercise and protection, was active in many women’s rights pursuits, and was a quiet philanthropist. She was generous and intelligent and believed her good character was worth more than money or fame. Annie’s life was also marked by her great resilience. Her early life was fraught with difficulties and mistreatment, and she was badly injured in both a train accident and a car crash during her life, requiring long periods of recovery, but every time she went right back to shooting as well as she did before. She was still setting new records in her sixties! Annie Oakley used her natural talents and determination to save her family from poverty, dazzle the world with her sharp-shooting and showmanship, and to show us all what an intelligent, capable girl could do when she wanted to.

Today, be inspired to…Use your talents and gifts, whether they’re singing, playing baseball, or writing poems.

Photo credit: wikipedia

Introduction

The world is full of inspiring women, both past and present, who made a difference through their actions, their convictions, and their words. Some of them we know well; others have worked quietly with little notice, but they all have something important to teach us. They show us that we can influence others, care for those in need, crush all barriers, and find success despite all odds. These women use their hearts, minds, and hands to change the world and make it a better place. This is a 100-day challenge to write about one of these amazing women (hopefully) every day and to be inspired to follow her example. Because even if our names are never written in history or we are never praised for our actions, there are so many little ways we can make a difference in the lives of others, whether it’s a kind word to a stranger, a helping hand to a friend, or just a change in our own attitudes. Come and join me on this journey and see what we can learn.