As it’s International Women’s Day today, there will be many posts celebrating women who have achieved incredible things in business, sport and global affairs.
Those achievements absolutely deserve recognition.
But today also feels like a moment to honour another group of women, those who quietly made the world better through everyday acts of care, kindness and integrity.
As a celebrant, I often stand alongside families as they say goodbye to the women they love. During a celebration of life ceremony, families share memories that reveal just how deeply someone’s life has shaped the people around them.
Recently I’ve been privileged to lead more than one celebration of life ceremony for women whose strength showed itself in quiet but powerful ways.
Some excelled in careers in caring professions, supporting people through life’s most difficult moments. Some spent years encouraging and supporting others through community organisations such as the Women’s Institute. Others devoted their lives to raising families where children and grandchildren grew up surrounded by love, stability and encouragement.
None of these women lived their lives for recognition or fanfare.
They did what they did simply because it was the right thing to do.
When families gather for a celebration of life ceremony, these are often the stories that surface, the small acts of kindness, the dependable friendships, the quiet ways someone showed up for the people in their life again and again.
The women I’ve been honoured to celebrate recently may never have sought the spotlight. Yet during a celebration of life ceremony, it becomes clear just how far their influence has travelled, through the people they loved, the communities they supported, and the values they passed on.
On International Women’s Day, while we celebrate extraordinary achievements, it also feels important to recognise the women whose strength showed itself in quieter ways.
Because sometimes the most powerful legacy revealed in a celebration of life ceremony is simply this: a life lived with kindness, integrity and care for others.