I had the pleasure of meeting with Trinity Presbyterian Church’s women on their retreat two weeks ago. They invited me to lead a session on “Women’s Wisdom” on Friday evening. There was a lot of interaction. One of the questions I asked was: What have you learned over the years that you’d like to share with a younger woman? What wisdom have you gained? Each group had a chance to present the outcomes of their discussion; later, I was able to compile and share the results with them and now you.
One group said to: Find a balance between work and family; enjoy your children; don’t worry about getting everything done, save it for another day; as a mother, don’t lose yourself in the chaos and turmoil of the household; learn from experiences – both positive and negative; take time for yourself; and, take time with your girlfriends.
The second group suggested: Happiness doesn’t come from anything or from anyone, it comes from inside yourself; until you learn to love yourself, you cannot learn to love another; there’s much value in patience and tolerance; endurance helps; be a good listener; instead of trying to lead people, guide them instead; remember, you can take people’s advice, but you don’t have to follow it!
Very thought-provoking comments, all of them. Do any especially resonate with you? What might you tell your younger self if you had that fantasy opportunity? Women’s wisdom – together, we can grow it.
by Kathleen Vestal Logan, MS, MA March 6, 2016