A Different Point of View

I won't lie. My mother is dead. Like six feet under in a National Cemetery about an hour away; she's near her dad, which is convenient. I hate that as a nation we feel the urgent need to celebrate femininity for a day set aside in May, when this is something I'm striving to do daily. I'm a cis gendered gay Latino male who can pass for non-Latino (i.e.  Mediterranean/North African/Middle Eastern/Sephardic Jew), but I'm constantly reminding the women in my life that they are goddesses, that every they they do influences future generations. My mother taught me that a woman could amazing things, regardless of marital status. She emanated a sense of well-being regardless of her status; I knew she could thrive regardless of marital status.
In 11 hours, I'm due at my grandmother's house, the house my mother grew up in. The house where my brother and my cousins would play tetherball and Statues. I've decided I'm not going. I can stay home and be bored, but with access to alcohol or weed. I honestly feel numb because I feel I'm supporting my lady friends in their endeavors, even if I don't know what they're doing. I just found out Jessica wrote a book on California history, which was the most general topic of her dissertation. Jessica has a precocious and lovable son named Leon and teaches history at Cal State Northridge. I was seriously on board when I read something about proofing and balancing her domestic duties. HOW COULD I NOT SUPPORT HER?!
And then Gaby tells me she's going to Montreal to present with our friend and former colleague (museum life is great!) Selene. YAAS QUEENS! I love it, but know nothing of what the presentation is. Why? Because I love every fucking thing my lady friends do. I love that Robin Shea teaches at Newbury Park Academy, volunteers to get clean water to African families, and loves her family as much as she can. Valinda shapes the minds of the women who matriculate at Scripps College in Pomona, helping these women in their career paths that will influence other women like themselves. Teagan who works tirelessly in the leather community, winning titles and such (sorry hun! I'm trying to keep track as I praise you!), as well as creating an app helping trans* folx find a bathroom they can use with no questions asked. Jacqui and Linda, who have given so much to SDA Kinship and don't get the respect and honor they deserve.
The women I've mentioned and not mentioned are mothers in their own right, not because they gave birth to another, but because they have helped nurture and guided others; they have share their gifts with us and we should be thankful for that, not just today, but everyday.