Another women’s gathering today. This time there are 15 of us, over brunch at a restaurant that happened to be a 7-minute walk away. I was a little tired (ahem), so I figured I’d stick around for an hour, maybe two, then roll home for a nap.
Four hours later, I was still there.
The brunch was organized by through an international women’s organization that exists in cities all over the world. Women from Morocco, Syria, Canada, the States, Turkey, Germany, Taiwan, UAE, and some places I am forgetting shared food. A human rights lawyer was there, and a surgeon-turned-life -coach, several English teachers, a psychologist in training, and a cake artist. Two women arrived with their daughter, and shared that they had left Moscow not three days ago, where they had 21 hours to get out of the country and the cheapest flight they could find was to Istanbul. They can’t access their savings, can’t continue their jobs since their clients can’t pay them, and will likely never return. They shared about how many Russians are adamantly against this war, and how much it is harming so many of them.
But perhaps the most remarkable thing was what got done in four hours.
We found mobile covid testing for those two women, who have to fly to the UK to get non-Sputnik vaccines. We hooked one up with a couple of job possibilities. Other job opportunities were exchanged. The human rights lawyer told me there might even be a way to set up a legal charity to help Syrian refugees in Turkey above board (!!!), rather than how I’ve been doing it thus far.
The women who had come from Moscow had been members of the chapter of this group there, and said that one of the first things they did upon arriving here was look this one up.
I will never stop being amazed at the power of women gathering together in the spirit of sisterhood, listening to each other, holding space, and lifting each other up.
There is nothing we can’t do.
I’m cheering from all the way over in Canada!!!
Wow indeed 🥰☀️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💥