Saturday 8 May 2010

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day - to all mothers, sons & daughters,

I lost my mother last year and this is the first Mother's Day I cannot honour her. Of course my mother always told me that her kids should honour her every day of the year and that this was just a commercial holiday, but now that she is no longer here in the flesh I miss talking to her. Being continents apart, I was on the phone to her at least a couple of times a week and quite often I think, oh I must ring mom, only to remember that she is no longer on the other side of the phone.

My mother was a stay @ home mother, who interrupted her nursing career to have children and never went back into the workforce. Many of today's women think quite differently and are keen to pursue careers. Many walk the work-life balance line. Then there is the argument that women are good for the economy and empowering women is a persistent policy trend.

Investing in women can unlock infinite potential around the globe, but as the below presentation on Ted.com highlights in many cases women also walk the line between Western-style empowerment and traditional culture. Kavita Ramdas of the Global Fund for Women talks about three encounters with powerful women who fight to make the world better -- while preserving the traditions that sustain them.

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/kavita_ramdas_radical_women_embracing_tradition.html

Worth a read.

Until we meet again..