09/03/2026
Happy International Womens Day.
You are Appreciated!
If the first woman, God ever made was strong enough to turn this world upside down. These women together ought to be able to turn it right again. – Angela Bassett
It was a scene that should have been ordinary, yet it carried the weight of a thousand unspoken lifetimes.
At the supermarket checkout, an elderly woman stood with her grandchild in front of me. Her movements were slow, deliberate, and filled with a profound silence as she placed her few items on the belt, a couple of packs of instant noodles, a single can of tuna, two potatoes, and a small snack for the boy.
When the child asked for a drink to go with his treat, she didn't hesitate. "Go and get it," she whispered. But as he ran off, the reality of the math took hold. In a move that was as swift as it was heartbreaking, she caught the cashier’s eye and silently gestured to the two potatoes. Cancel these, her eyes said. The drink is more important.
In that moment, the potatoes weren't just vegetables; they were the substance maybe of a family meal. By removing them, she was choosing his joy over their hunger. She was calculating how to turn a can of tuna and some noodles into a feast, while she settled for less.
Watching her, my eyes filled with tears. It was a masterclass in a specific kind of courage—the quiet, maternal bravery that toils in the shadows of "making do."
It took me back to the three pillars of my own life: my three grandmothers. I saw them in her. I saw the women who carried the weight of entire households on their backs, who toiled until their hands were calloused and their spirits weary, all to ensure there was a home to come back to.
We often set aside one day a year to remember women, but a single day cannot contain this kind of sacrifice. How many women are standing at counters right now, trading their own necessities for a child’s smile? How many are performing these invisible miracles, ensuring that even in scarcity, the child only feels the abundance of love?
If a man had stood there, perhaps the logic of the meal would have won. But this was the logic of a grandmother—a logic where love is the only currency that matters, and where a drink for a thirsty child is worth more than a full plate for her family. They are the silent architects of our lives, building worlds out of noodles, tuna, and a love that knows no limits.
Far too often we see women perform acts of heroism—whether as homemakers, life coaches, shoulders to lean on, teachers, nurturers, protectors, or our number-one fans. Where would we be without them? A house is not a home without a woman.
To the many women out there, especially those I call family, thank you for all you do. In leadership, men may initiate things, but it is women who maintain them. Women push us to be great, and when they teach, they live their teaching. Their years of struggle and pain were for us.
To the women who push us to be great, who turn a house into a home, and whose years of struggle were the seeds of our success: You are more than appreciated. You are the reason we stand.
Vinaka Vakalevu.
