Letter to Rahel

November 2, 2011
Dear Rahel,
I am so happy to meet you and let you know how impressed I am with your profile and journal entries on Pulse Wire! I so admire your passion for women’s rights in your country and the world and hope I can help in some ways to make your “citizen journalism” journey a fruitful one. I’m glad that you identify as a feminist and I’ll tell you something of myself so you know that I too, am a strong feminist!
I have been a secondary school teacher, a college teacher, a director in a large corporation and a teacher/group facilitator of classes and workshops for adults. I was a Catholic religious sister for many years and was active in the U.S. feminist movement of the 70’s before I left in ‘79. I received my doctorate in spirituality studies in 2007 with a dissertation entitled, “Reclaiming the Divine Feminine: Archetypes for Healing and Wholeness in Our Time” and now teach in a spiritual guidance program as well as offer empowering workshops for women. As you can see, I am an “elder,” hopefully with some amount of wisdom, gained from my 73 years on the planet!
I grew up in a small rural community in Minnesota and now live in a small river village of 650 folks so I feel a special connection to the land and the river and my neighborhood community. I have also been privileged to travel extensively, in fact, was in Kenya 30 years ago for the International Women’s Conference, and I have a great concern about both the health of our planet and of the people—especially women-- living with it. I read “Half the Sky” and realize that women, metaphorically, hold up half the sky and are able to use only a small portion of available resources to strengthen them for the task. I believe, and have seen, that by empowering women economically, educationally, spiritually and socially the world can be brought back into balance and we can live more peacefully with Earth and with each other. I mentored Martha for VOF last year and have been mentoring a woman from Liberia who lives in Minneapolis. I teach about these things and also am active politically here in my area to promote what I see as justice for the common good. Yes, I voted for Obama and will do that again in 2012!
I too am concerned about my “hidri” and want to pass on what I have learned. A dear friend of mine has been very ill lately and I just spent time with my sister and her husband who was ill and subsequently died so I am very aware of the passage of time and how important it is to not delay living out of our values and passions. I want my energy and sense of possibility for young women like you and for the world to be dynamic and “catchy” so that this good work can continue and grow. Being in touch with you and other women of World Pulse gives me hope for the future. I know that I will learn so much from you and I hope I can be of help on your World Pulse journey!