I recently spent the weekend at a sporting event where I met many women. While I was there, I had a very ordinary, extraordinary moment that made me stop and appreciate just how powerful women can be when we support one another.
I met a woman with whom I had an instant feeling of knowing her, even though I was pretty sure we had not met. We didn’t speak that much to each other over the two days. There was a moment of chatting as we waited in line for a toilet, and another moment when her friend came to see me.
What I noticed about her was her grace, and a quiet dignity within her that perhaps she hadn’t fully recognised in herself.
On the second day of the event, I saw her walk past. She had changed out of her sports uniform and was wearing a gorgeous T-shirt with vibrant, earthy colours. I was struck by how lovely she looked and how it brought out her natural beauty. I called out to her, “I love your top. You look so beautiful!” She smiled and agreed that it was lovely, then kept walking.
What happened next was what really made me stop.
When I saw her walk past again in her glorious top, she still had grace and dignity but there was so much more.
It was like she was shining from the inside out.
She felt playful and joyful and the way she moved was that of an elegant, beautiful woman.
Like a flower opening in full, this was exquisite to see, and it filled my body with light, wonder and joy.
I realised in that moment the immense potential women hold when we keep seeing, appreciating and expressing the beauty we see in each other.
United as one, we empower and inspire one another.
Appreciation of others takes no effort at all, when we develop a deep appreciation of ourselves first.
It is natural to delight in the beauty and qualities felt in other women, when we feel that within ourselves. If you allow yourself to feel the magic of appreciation, the words come out of your mouth before you know it! The impact of a few simple, heartfelt words can be spectacular. We all win, as we celebrate and confirm in each other the gorgeousness and loveliness that we know is within us all and allow that to come out and play.
I would like to dedicate this blog to Serge Benhayon, Natalie Benhayon, and Michael Benhayon, as without their support I may never have found the beautiful woman I am. Through their consistent, loving reflections, I have discovered a deep love and appreciation of being a woman. I now know that there is a beautiful woman to be seen, one who is graceful, delicate, joyful, sexy and wise, who can now inspire other women to re-discover their unique qualities.
By Fiona Lotherington; Registered Nurse, First Aid Officer; Lismore, Australia
For Further Inspiration:
Turning comparison and jealousy on their heads.. how appreciating ourselves leads to greater intimacy with others.
Falling in love with each other – and ourselves – through the simplicity of appreciating each other.
Comparison and competition vs inspiration and appreciation.
Women in Livingness Blog 
Well said Ariana, for the appreciation that we express must be genuine and truly felt deep within, otherwsie it is a tick box exercise, one to simply ‘do’ but will not carry with it the same power to confirm another and hence will be, as you have shared, ’empty words’.
In a world where comparison and jealousy are rife, this simple sentence comes in with the power to change it all: “We all win, as we celebrate and confirm in each other the gorgeousness and loveliness that we know is within us all and allow that to come out and play.”
Fiona, thank you for this beautiful blog, which really does highlight how much we can support each other as women when we allow ourselves to stop and appreciate all the qualities that we all bring to each other and express this lovingly so.
There is an expression that says “it takes one to know one” – for example it takes a woman who appreciates herself to know or be able to see the same in another.
What I felt from reading your blog today Fiona was how much a woman’s relationship with herself impacts on how she is with others, and as a result the whole community she is a part of. We are always having an impact and the quality of our relationship with ourselves is the quality we take to others.
Many women can not feel appreciation for themselves as there is a deep level of exhaustion that many run with that stops them going there. When ever I am more tired its harder to appreciate thats why looking after ourselves is imperative.
How beautiful would it be to life in a world where we saw the beauty in others first and foremost. How different would our relationships be, how different would our lives be…
When we truly appreciate someone it is felt deep within, and allows the person to appreciate themselves for who they are If we are given a compliment it doesn’t feel the same, because it usually comes loaded with a need or a jealousy or something similar. The beautiful thing about appreciation is that when said in truth it is a beautiful confirmation of how we are feeling.
‘United as one, we empower and inspire one another.’ And that’s the thing we never do it alone and nothing is just for us, so deepening our connection and appreciating ourselves naturally leads to greater appreciation for others, and it’s this beautiful ripple effect of more love lived in the world.
Appreciation of ourselves and others offers a understanding that there is so much more to us than we realise.
When I grew up I remember the Berlin Wall being taken down and how people who had lived metres from each other but never connected got to see and know each other again. It feels to me like we are in this situation too as a humanity ~ just learning to open up after a Cold War, seeing that those who we thought of as alien strangers are connected to us in their hearts. Life’s about us all coming together no living seperately.
Yes, it’s like a coldness war – walls everywhere! 🙂
Fiona, this is so beautiful and I have experienced the same, we can really support each time there as women to be ourselves or we can judge and critique which supports no one and keeps ourselves feeling less.
I agree, the Benhayon family are inspiring beyond words in what they continually offer all of us, ‘Through their consistent, loving reflections, I have discovered a deep love and appreciation of being a woman. I now know that there is a beautiful woman to be seen, one who is graceful, delicate, joyful, sexy and wise, who can now inspire other women to re-discover their unique qualities.’
I agree, and I feel this is key, developing a deep appreciation of self first, ‘Appreciation of others takes no effort at all, when we develop a deep appreciation of ourselves first.’
True Fiona, there is magic happening when we appreciate one another, women are beautiful and it is very joyful to share the appreciation and confirm ourselves and each other and be the exquisiteness in full.
Having our essence and true qualities confirmed is super empowering and inspiring.
This is so simple what you offer Fiona. The magic of appreciation. But the appreciation has to come from our hearts, our body and not from our heads, in the latter case it just doesn’t work and it backfires to us. People will know that it is not true.
When we fully appreciate each other it becomes so much easier to express, as you say Fiona the words are out before you know it. The feeling of appreciating someone feels so expansive and confirming not only for the person receiving it but the person offering it.
It does make a big difference when we are supportive and appreciative of one another.
” Appreciation of others takes no effort at all, when we develop a deep appreciation of ourselves first.” I have always found it easier to appreciate others, less so myself. However I ask myself how deep can that appreciation of others truly be if I don’t hold myself equally so?
” United as one, we empower and inspire one another.”
This is so very true , united with the all that makes the one, inspires one to be the all.
Very beautiful Fiona and very true. The more we deeply appreciate the majesty and magnificence of who we are as Sons of God and the sacredness we as women innately hold, the more we can see this in others. And in openly expressing when we see this with others confirms that this is who we are and that this is movement of God that lights up this world.