Last week while on a East Coast visit, once again I found myself touring the 9-11 Museum. No matter how many times that I stand on that site, and I’ve been there several times, I am reminded of being a young mother to my newborn who at the time was a 4 month old baby girl. I look at the faces and the lives destroyed. I lament for the children who lost the parents. As I have been blessed to watch my daughter morph from infant to nearly sweet 16, my heart aches for those who tragically lost that privilege.

Today, as we celebrate International Woman’s Day, I’m sharing with you a quote I read in the Museum. This is the final moment of one brave woman who chose in the midst of all the chaos and terror to jump and plummet to her end. But alas, always a woman, she held her skirt as she jumped, so as not to have it fly up.

Always a woman and a lady. Whoever said women are like tea bags, and you don’t know how strong they are until they are put in hot water – spoke no truer words.

To all my sisters – today we salute you!

“She had a business suit on, her hair was all askew. This woman stood there for what seemed like minutes, then she held down her skirt and stepped off the ledge.
I though how human, how modest, to hold down her skirt before she jumped. I couldn’t look anymore.” Witness, James Gilroy Lower Manhattan Resident.