I have been honored as I have watched our volunteers share what makes them powerful and who they see power in for Women’s History Month. I hope you will look back on what has been shared so far! 

This final week we are focusing on our community. And I have made no secret about how much I love and admire our community. I get to see us at our best and occasionally our worst. I think you are all amazing. 

But today I want to share the power I am seeing in so many in our community. I wish I could go through and mention everyone by name but that would be a very, very long list. Please assume you are on the list and know I think you are valuable just as you are. 

To begin with I want to talk about the volunteers I have recently been working with in our social media working group as well as those who pitch in through state chapters or other avenues. I see so much enthusiasm, creativity, vulnerability, and strength in each of them. And yes they are  powerful. Those with ME who are doing their best to volunteer to create change, the caregivers who are not only caretaking but trying to effect change in the wider world and the allies- people who simply show up because they care. WOW! I am in awe. 

I am already writing something way too long but I wish you could see all these people through my eyes. I wish you could see yourself through my eyes. I am so humbled by what I see in our community day in and day out. 

So for all the volunteers I have worked with through #MEAction—I salute you and your power! 

To the two women who I first joined in advocacy work—not knowing at all what I was doing—and we became friends. I see your creativity and drive and sheer determination…plus your goofiness and joy and hope. To those two amazing ladies, I am honored to know you. Thank you for making the very difficult first experience turn into something beautiful. 

To the staff that I work with—wow—I have learned so much from each of you. You are powerful and wise and resilient. I see your power and I see you constantly give and give. I will not name names but I hope to take some time to personally say thank you for showing up as your powerful selves over and over again. 

To those who have been in this fight the longest—wow! I see you. I am with you. It takes a lot to continue showing up however your body allows and to hang on when it does not. You are strength personified. I wish you did not have to be. You are like the strongest oak! You have had to endure years of all kinds of “weather” in terms of care, research, advocacy…and you are still here. You are loved! 

For those no longer with us, something took you away. But I still carry you with me. I learned from you. I remember you. I honor you. I bring you with me to each meeting and brainstorming session. Your power is not less because you are gone. It becomes something collective that belongs to all of us. Thank you for being in the world while you could. I wish you were still here. I have a list of names running through my mind right now. You are missed.