Celebrating International Women's Day

I come from a family with talented and capable women, many of whom have invested greatly in my life over the years. I am very proud of the women my daughters have become. Today is a day to celebrate the achievements of women around the world and to recognize that ongoing work is needed to ensure safety and equality for all.

My grandmother, pictured on the left, graduated from the School of Medicine at the University of Toronto in 1918. She was one of four women graduates in a class of 92 students. She specialized in paediatrics after graduation and looked after "her babies" in the small town where she lived north of Toronto, finally retiring in 1960. 

I took it for granted that Grandma was a doctor, not realizing in my younger years that she was a trailblazer who championed women's rights all her life. She collected books written by and about influencial Canadian women who excelled in all areas of private and public life and made sure I knew their stories. She travelled widely and made friends wherever she went. She was resilient, presevering after the death of her first son from meningitis, the loss of their first home to fire, and the premature death of her husband at the age of 52. She aged with grace and dignity and selflessly cared for the needs of other people until her death just shy of 94 years of age. 

I like Grandma's saying in the 1918 U of T yearbook because it describes her life perfectly. 

"She doesn't speak of what she is going to do, she does it."

Happy International Women's Day to women everywhere!