Celebrate Women’s History Month

Most of us aren’t aware of how Women’s History month came to be.

Women’s History Month was officially created by Congress in 1987 — but its roots go much deeper, starting with suffragists fighting for women to get the vote in the early 20th century. Here is why Women’s History Month is in March and other facts you might not know about the month-long celebration.

Women’s History Month is celebrated in March.

March is Women's History MonthIt started as National Woman’s Day, a Feb. 28 meeting of socialists and suffragists in Manhattan in 1909. History contributor Sarah Pruitt told TODAY that this meeting was held on a Sunday so that people would not miss work.

In March 1910, German activist Clara Zetkin suggested that International Women’s Day be recognized as an international holiday at the International Conference of Working Women in Copenhagen — and all 17 countries in attendance at the conference agreed.

So, on March 18, 1911, Europeans finally followed suit in recognizing International Women’s Day, while Americans continued to rally for Women’s Day on the last Sunday in February until the 1970s.

The holiday wasn’t widely celebrated in America until the United Nations recognized it in 1970s. Later that decade in California, in order to persuade schools to comply with recently passed Title IX laws, a task force in California created Women’s History Week. And, in March 1980, President Jimmy Carter declared that March 8 was officially the start of National Women’s History Week!

Providing Healing, Promoting Hope

Providing Healing, Promoting HopeThe 2022 Women’s History theme, “Providing Healing, Promoting Hope,” is both a tribute to the ceaseless work of caregivers and frontline workers during this ongoing pandemic and also a recognition of the thousands of ways that women of all cultures have provided both healing and hope throughout history.

Women as healers harken back to ancient times. Healing is the personal experience of transcending suffering and transforming it to wholeness. The gift of hope spreads light to the lives of others and reflects a belief in the unlimited possibilities of this and future generations. Together, healing and hope are essential fuels for our dreams and our recovery.

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In Loving Memory of Tom and Izzy

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February was a tough month for myself and my employees. Not only did we have to deal with the death of Tom, my father, but we also lost our beloved Izzy – who most of you have been following in our office and blog for years.

As much as you prepare for this moment, the experience left us reeling with the seven stages of grief: shock and denial, pain and guilt, anger and bargaining, depression, upward turn, reconstruction and acceptance. And grief does not follow a straight line – it bounces between all the stages.

Strategies for coping with grief are varied – my sisters and I dealt with his death with wine, cheese, chips and togetherness. Bill and Dory cuddled Izzy for weeks to let her know how much she was loved.

Bill and Dory’s Izzy

Izzy Izzy

It helps to know that you won’t feel like this forever. Take care of yourself and allow it to go.

You can handle this, even when you feel like you can’t. Don’t try to stifle or avoid your feelings, make space to experience painful emotions and ask for help if you need it. You’re not alone.

Be gentle with yourself. I found grief to be exhausting so I carved out time for lots of rest. Your feelings are normal – the process makes it more difficult if other people around you tell you what you should or shouldn’t do. Allow yourself to feel whatever the heck you want, that’s your normal.

Grief comes in cycles, not a straight line. You reach a point where you feel good, only to feel bad again. Grief has been described as a series of loops.

Bill told me this week that he still thinks about Izzy every day, even though they have a new addition to the family (more to come on that later). Ride the wave.

Kat’s Father Tom

Kat with Dad and Fam Kat's Notes from Dad Kat's Notes from Dad

I will miss my father, but I also celebrate his fascinating 93 years of life. He had four daughters who adored him, three wives that he outlasted, was a world traveler and visionary. He delighted in regaling family and friends with his many stories and THAT we will miss most of all.

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