Sometimes I wonder how women manage to get through just one day without breaking down and giving up. It seems that everywhere we turn there are people and circumstances hell-bent on defining and labeling us in neat little boxes; to the world, we are as good as out physical attributes.

One minute we are told to repress our power, and the next minute we are urged to be tough, to fight and play the game just like the men. It is such a dizzying paradox! This is why it is important that every woman knows without a doubt that she is blessed, she is a treasure, and inhibits a world of wisdom that is vital to humanity.

This is why we must embrace the precious gift womanhood; understand our inherent feminine dignity which will enable us to see each other and the rest of the world the way God intends us to see them.  When we truly understand our own human dignity, we are able to tap into the feminine genius that each woman has and bring to the world healing and hope for the future. That is why we must be very serious about the example we set and the legacy we leave.

As the veritable Jewish nun Edith stein aptly puts it “The soul of woman must . . . be expansive and open to all human beings,” The soul of a woman, she continued, “must be quiet so that no small weak flame will be extinguished by stormy winds; warm so as not to benumb fragile buds; clear, so that no vermin will settle in dark corners and recesses; self-contained, so that no invasions from without can imperil the inner life; empty of itself, in order that extraneous life may have room in it; finally, it is mistress of itself and also of its body, so that the entire person is readily at the disposal of every call.”

Women share a common language our mutual understanding transcends culture, background, or race. We are united by our endless quest, dreams and hopes for a better world. This is why we must be bold in our commitment to defend traditional values and those things we hold sacred and dear in every aspect of life. What the world needs today are individuals brave enough to stand in and fill the gaping moral gap.  It is true that suffering — physical, emotional, and spiritual can beat us down, and rob us of the knowledge that we are stronger, more brilliant than the things that fight against us. No matter what, women everywhere are linked by their divine responsibility to maintain, uplift and improve each of our homes, cities and nations at this crucial time.

We as women must step forward to remind our cultures of the religious, spiritual and moral values which empower us and protect us. We must help our children and our families return to what is right, just and divine. We must also seek a way to heal the wounds and erase the racial, religious and cultural animosities which allow our brothers to kill each other.

I hope that we can use our feminine magic to bind this world together so we can truly create a new peace movement. It is in our power to do so. Let us awaken the world to what is possible. Let us dream but more than dream: let us ensure that there is peace and prosperity to all.

Happy Women’s Day