Bridgie

I cannot honor Brigit without mentioning my favorite Brigit of all: earth mom to one of my oldest, dearest friends, goddess among men, divine worker among sick children, and one mean cook. When I think about the powerful women I know, she is at the top of my list. I've known her for most of my life, and have to be honest that she's always scared me just the tiniest bit. If you saw her, you'd immediately be impressed by her grace, poise and beauty, but you'd also get just the slightest vibe that this is not a woman to mess with.

Bridgie is no-nonsense, practical, and deeply insightful, in so much that if you're, say, being a little mean to her daughter in seventh grade because you're jealous of how beautiful, smart, and overall amazing this girl is, you might want to avoid seeing Bridgie around because she might just want to kick your ass, in a purely metaphorical way. She's a little funny that way--you don't mess with the people she loves. She is fierce and strong and says the things that need to be said when no one else wants to say them. And yet, if you need some comfort, or support, or kindness, she provides it freely and with great love.

I know her best through her daughter, Gyspy Girl, who is my go-to soul sister. You need truth, good advice, someone to tell you, "Everything will be fine?" She's the one to do it. As my mom would say, Gypsy Girl didn't "just lick that off the wall." She learned it from her mom.

And then, just this small thing: she talks to the ghost that lives in her old farm-house.

It's not that often that you meet a nurse practitioner with a Master's Degree working in a world-renowned hospital who tends to children fighting cancer during the day, and then goes home at night to scold a ghost for tossing all the baskets off the tops of the kitchen cabinets. Yet Bridgie just naturally has the ability to work seamlessly in both dimensions. What's exceptional about her is that she doesn't create any fan-fare about any of her roles; she just quietly goes about her business, and it's a beautiful thing to know that she is in the world, doing important work with the grace and passion that makes her so powerful.

Not a bad introduction to the power of Brigit.