Friends who empower and support one another are the best, and only friends worth having, and I am grateful for the ones in my life.

I am a single mother and when my daughter was two I left my husband and moved to a new city to go to University. I took on single-motherhood and being a student at the same time.

What I didn’t know then, and what I could not have anticipated, was that I would meet some wonderful, strong women, who would change my life and help me grow.

We are moving out of the apartment where my daughter has grown up for nearly 5 years and where we will be going is still uncertain. We are both in a very emotional place and feeling nostalgic.

Looking back used to be hard for me; I have PTSD and the past used to be something that tormented me, kept me up at night, and kept me from believing in my own worth. I was scared of what had already happened in my life and would beat myself up over things I had said or done.

Something has changed, I think it is me. I no longer look back and see only my mistakes, now I can see all of the people I am grateful for. I see the lessons I have learned and appreciate the experiences I have had.

Part of that is owed to the people I have met, the women who have guided me with their intelligence, their strength, and their wisdom.

In that light I would like to dedicate this series of posts Fierce Lady Friends: The Seven Lessons for the women in my life, my tribe,  and to the women out there who are living, supporting and teaching one another.

In the coming weeks, I will be posting the Seven Lessons from my perspective and experience and share a bit about the women in my life who were my teachers in the formative time in my life that is now coming to a close.  The Lessons are:

1. Acceptance
2. Boundaries
3. Compassion
4. Courage
5. Unconditional Love
6. Trust
7. Sisterhood