I obviously have spent a whole bunch of years being a female, well actually my entire life (no surprise there). But something I have realized is that we are a funny bunch, aren’t we ladies? There are some things we do and say that are unique to us. I’ve done them, and I know if you admit it, you have too! So I’m just going to step up and confess to some of the funny things all women do.

Have you ever had that sick, anxious feeling in the pit of your stomach? The one that occurs when you know there’s a conversation you need to have with someone you don’t want to have it with? Or maybe they don’t want to have it with you. A misunderstanding has occurred—or even worse—they are heading down a road you know you can’t let them travel without at least having an honest discussion before they do.

I knew my father was having a difficult time in life. It was so very unlike this man whose smile warmed the hearts of perfect strangers to see that smile so infrequently. But at the age of 50, having left his position as an accountant, he could not find a job in his field. There were challenges he was facing that he kept to himself and the depth of depression that descended upon him was not fully known to those who loved him. That is until the day my mother found him in the garage having taken his life.

Once again, I grabbed a shopping cart to complete what seems to be my four-times-a-week run to Walmart. As I was rolling down the aisle, I passed one of those cardboard boxes that sits strategically in your path. You know—those big old things that you have to navigate your shopping cart around. The reason it’s placed there is so you will go slowly, pause, and purchase something that wasn’t on your list and that you didn’t know you needed until that very moment.

I think these ladies were not only inspiring then but are still worth quoting today. To celebrate Women’s History Month, I have pulled a few quotes from these brilliant women whose lives epitomized grit and grace. Their sayings carried through decades are genuinely just as relevant now.