"The Calling" by Lisa Kovacs, Ontario, Canada

I call to all women of; race, colour, creed and tribes:

Yes I said tribes because We are the supreme warriors of the human race. We are the Mothers, Daughters, Aunts and Grandmothers of these tribes. We are the caregivers, the protectors of children; teachers of basic life skills to our helpless infants that goes on for decades to which we accept with no hesitation and great pride. We are the warriors who will fight to the death for our own tribe. We are the emotional backbone of the tribes. We have inner strength that is eternal, limitless and powerful. We are like the Phoenix that rises from the ashes only to dig deeper, fight harder and become stronger from our experiences.

So it is with a heavy heart that I pose these questions:

Why is it that women will turn on each other in a heartbeat?

Have we not suffered enough?

Why can’t we network and encourage each other?

Do we not teach our own tribe this?

Why do women judge each other so harshly?

“Oh, she’s a stay at home Mom!” To this I say this warrior has toughest, thankless task of all.

As a Phoenix, her wings are clipped and her options to soar are now narrowed by choice. The sacrifice is high. The workload is heavy. It is with this very woman warrior who influences the next generation of the Phoenix.

This woman has the power to make the next warrior stronger, smarter, teaching how womanhood could be a strong nation of warriors that respect each other for Who they are and What they bring to our nation. Help the next Phoenix spread her wings. We do this very thing for our children without hesitation. Why can’t we do this for our fellow woman?

I call to our next generation of woman warriors to say:

I AM A PHOENIX. I have risen from the ashes numerous times and have the battle scars to prove it. Take advice from an old warrior who is finally too weak and weary to rise one more time.

As my wings turn to dust remember it is up to you; our next generation of woman warriors, to finally join our tribes together and stand up as one. We would be unstoppable. Go with God.

Lisa Kovacs