Woman of Worth
by Mands
I am a Woman of Worth!
Born of Africa, Land of my Birth!
In my struggle for self, in the context of being a wife and working mother,
I got caught in the worldly perceptions of what it is to be a woman.
Forgetting my indomitable strength and courage,
I lost sight of my many attributes and nurturing qualities,
blinded by the predispositions of the media
inundation and conditioning roles,
of being a super business woman,
perfect wife and perfect mom!
The harder I tried, the more I failed.
The longer I toiled, the less I accomplished.
The more I determined, the less I achieved.
The more I gained, the smaller I felt.
The ego of my mind, diminishing my Spirit!
Then I let go of worldly misconceptions,
Freed my mind of imprisoning beliefs,
Connecting to my heart with purpose and passion!
Allowing myself to be who I really am…
A Woman of Worth!
With boundless strength and infinite courage.
Intelligent, Gorgeous, Special and Unique!
In the discovery of the truth of what it is to be a Woman,
I realised that it is the mistakes that I sometimes make
that I learn my greatest lessons.
I can wait until the day when I have reached perfection
to realise I am a Woman of Worth.
Or someday, when the world is wiser,
When this land that I love is older,
When we have learned to love and laugh with each other,
I may recognise that I am a Woman of Worth!
Or I can recognise that today is the day,
that I can acknowledge that I am….
A Woman of Worth!
Every time I hear the thunder and see the lightening flash across the sky,
Whenever I hear the storm tossed sea crash against the rocks on the beach,
Or I stand in awe as the sun brightens the morning sky
or paints a picture of perfect colour as the day surrenders
to the night sky framing a gorgeous sunset,
I can accept my place in the beauty of our Earth
and Mother Nature,
and acknowledge that….
I am a Woman of Worth!
Or someday, when life is fairer,
When my children have grown up and left home,
Or my chores are done and my work is complete,
When my home is clean with everything in its place,
I can take the time to recognise that,
I am a Woman of Worth!
Or I can recognise that today is the day,
that I can acknowledge that I am a Woman of Worth!
In this moment of busyness,
In the daily chaos of life,
While doing what I do and being who I am,
Amidst the tears of healing,
The challenge of change and growth,
The sharing of love and laughter,
with my family and friends through the experience of life,
I can recognise that,
I am a Woman of Worth!
When the struggle for survival eases the burdens of life,
Or my needs are fewer and my responsibilities are less,
When the wrinkles of time add lines to my face,
And the ageing of my body slows me down,
I can take the time to recognise that,
I am a Woman of Worth!
Or I can recognise that today is the day,
that I can acknowledge that I am a Woman of Worth!
No matter my age, colour, creed or race,
Where I come from, or where I have been,
Where I am going, or Where I am right now!
I can recognise that, today is the day, that I acknowledge,
I am a Woman of Worth!
In the simplicity of the moment,
Through the opening of my mind,
and the softening of my heart,
In the laughter that bubbles from inside me,
and the love that flows from my essence and through my life
I can whisper it to the wind…
Or shout it from the tree tops….
I can stand before the reflection of myself in the mirror,
and I can recognise that today is the day, that I acknowledge,
I am a Woman of Worth!
So, I will celebrate in this moment,
Rejoice in this day,
By acknowledging right now that,
I am a Woman of Worth!
© Mandy Swinburne
The Wow Notebook with the Woman of Worth poem printed on the first seven pages, was handcrafted in Hluhluwe, Zululand with handmade paper and a hand beaded motif or vinyl cut by South African Women of Ilala Weavers.
The Wow Notebooks are R90.00 each excluding postage and the Woman of Worth poem is included in the notebook on the first seven pages, and then the following pages are blank for you to make notes. If you would like to order please email mands@womanofworth.co.za
Please like our Women of Worth Facebook page for regular updates, thanks! 🙂
You are an inspirational woman and I feel blessed to have met you during FitWalk!
May God continue to bless and guide you!
It was wonderful to meet you Janice, and I really enjoyed our “breathless” chat. *Grin* It’s much easier to walk with a friend albeit a new one, then to trudge along alone… at Fitwalk and through life. *Smile* See you soon. Thanks so much for your comment and for visiting my website, I appreciate you support. Thank-you.
I have met some wonderful new ladies thru fitwalk! No airs n graces….down to earth ladies
Me too Gail… and I’m even starting to enjoy the walking. 🙂
Beautiful Poem, and very true for many women
Thank-you so much Chané for visiting the website, reading the poem and for you comment.
I was mother of 3 girls and my sister passed away and I had her daughter to take care of too. I worked hard trying to be the best role model, wife, daughter, worker and child of God. Always trying to be better and trying to find the meaning of life and my purpose in the world. It was only after I became a grandmother that I realised I did not have to try so hard. I just had to be me. I had to do what makes me happy. I did my best to make sure all 4 girls became woman of worth… Now I could just sit back and get to know them as grown ups. I started using my talents and started painting and jumped in and started my own business. There are times that I still question myself but always have to remind myself I am a woman of worth.
Love your poem and love your page.
Thank-you so much Ronelle for visiting and commenting and sharing, I really appreciate your words of inspiration. Thank-you for your compliment it means so much to me. Enjoy your gift. 🙂