The meaning behind International Women's Day... should really be our Every Day!~

I'll never forget waking up in Italy on March 8, 2007.  I had already been there for several days, but this day was a bit different.  When looking out the window of The Hotel Papa, there were beautiful pops of yellow at the newspaper stand across the street.  In fact, everywhere that I went that day, there were beautiful pops of yellow. The mimosa flower was being sold and given away to in sweet bundles and vases all day long, everywhere that I went. Mimosa sprigs were in vases at restaurants. Almost every little shop had brown paper wrapped mimosa bundles of various sizes. I'd been growing and working with flowers as a florist for years, and I'd never seen this sweet and vibrant flower anywhere near home.  

Apparently International Women's Day was a really big deal in Italy, and I witnessed smiling women being given and carrying bundles of mimosa throughout the whole day. I was given a little vase of mimosa from the owner of The Hotel Papa where we were staying. It made me smile too.   

I love what Exotic Flowers blog had to say about mimosa and the traditions of it's use on International Women's Day in 2 different posts.  In discussing International Women's Day, the author stated "it is also a chance for us all to show women how much we respect them and appreciate them".  When discussing the meaning of the mimosa flower, the author of Exotic Flowers blog used the words "sensibility", "expand" and "sympathy". 

How wonderful to have an "International Women's Day" but honestly it is a name for a day that hopefully just acknowledges the qualities that women demonstrate to others all year long!~ Strength, dignity, encouraging others and rising to the occasion in a variety of circumstances. 

I was recently humbled and enlightened when I read a blog post that a friend wrote about someone that I see on a fairly regular basis  This someone has had some challenging circumstances in her life and I'm so thankful that my friend took the time to find out more and essentially, give this someone a "vase of mimosa" in a different form. The encouragement and acknowledgement of "you are important and you are seen". I dare say that we all have a someone in our life that we can see in this story that my friend wrote.  I dare you to read it and I dare all of us to expand our horizons to see others and to show appreciation, sympathy and strength with sensibility towards those around us every day of the year. 

Here is : The Real Story 

Sometimes our "vase of mimosa" could be as simple as smile towards others, a listening ear, a bouquet of flowers and sometimes our mimosa could go much, much deeper.  May we all be "expanded" to see beyond ourselves and our own thoughts into the bigger picture of others!~