A TRIBUTE TO ALL WOMEN FROM DIFFERENT WALKS OF LIFE
(Chinaka Justin Mbaeri)
When God thought of making the earth a congenial environment for man; when God thought of alleviating the stress and difficulties of man; when God thought of the best companion for man, He thought of a woman, and indeed, He created her. In truth, never can two persons of the same gender fulfill the commandment to multiply and replenish the earth. Only a woman can bestow upon man that supernal title of father. She in turn, becomes a mother. O woman, I greet thee!
Through her sacrifice, once again, another spirit clothed in a mortal body crosses that frail footpath of life to experience mortality and the testing required in the plan of salvation – the birth of a child. The mother endures limitations while nature performs the miracle of creation. She must indeed be a super-woman! The most astonishing, influencial and great people of the world today are born of you. O woman, I salute thee!!
Men and women have complementary, not competing, responsibilities. Intelligence and talent favour both of them. More interestingly, she can do that which a man can never do; not in all eternity can he do it. There are complementing rewards which are hers and hers alone. Can anyone dispute that her part is different from and more demanding than his? In this light, she becomes superior to man. As Joseph Conrad clearly puts it: “Being a woman is a terribly difficult task, since it consists principally in dealing with men.” O woman, I hail thee!
The well-being of the mother, the child, the family, the Church, the society, and indeed of all humanity depends upon protecting that process. The obligations of motherhood are never-ending. She does NOT belong to the kitchen, NOR the bedroom, NEITHER does she belong to the “other room”; however, she is the backbone of a man and the secret of his happiness and success, and pillar of the family – she belongs and forms the basic part of his life. Only a beast has the guts to beat or abuse a woman. O woman, I revere thee!
Therefore, I give a loud shout out to all women who are the strength of life, the rock of her family, the gentle heartbeat to her children, the joy of her parents, the joy to her soul mate, the inspiration at her work, the support and love of her friends, the mystique in society, the leader of love, life and the apple in Adams eye. My tribute equally goes to all women who suffer deprivation of life, victims of sexual abuse and crime, the marginalized women, victims of domestic violence, those who died in the maternity room, the aged (our grandmothers) etc.
We all came through Eve and although she wasn’t perfect we are a tribute to her existence and stem from the power of a WOMAN.
May God continue to bless all the women who form part of our existence – my mother, your mother, my female relatives, my female friends and colleagues, the religious nuns, the aged women, and all other women… In this sentiment, I wish you all A HAPPY WOMEN’S DAY!!!
