As I reflect and apply gratitude to my life, I find that there was always a strong woman at my side. What is a “strong woman”? I think it can mean many different things. To me it means love, support and care. The 1st woman of course being my mom ( pic above), who went to work at 4 am every morning to help my wonderful father with the house hold bills. She would walk 30 minutes to the bus stop every day, all for her family. Our neighborhood wasn’t the safest, so she would recite her protection prayers the entire way.

My neighbor across the street came into my life during my ackward pre-teen days, she was a walking daily affirmation. Her goal was to teach me that anything was possible.  She made sure she built my self esteem and told me that someday I would be a famous fashion designer, lol. The one neighbor that boldly wore her hair braided and taught me how to braid and wanted to show me that my hair was beautiful and versatile. The 1st time she braided my hair, I felt so beautiful.

When I moved to the USA as a teenager, I met a wonderful ESL teacher that patiently taught her class how to speak english. The wonderful Brazilian women that opened their doors and arms to my family when we moved to America. 
The moments of strong women are many, most recently being Liz also known as Honest Liz on Instagram. I complimented Liz on her blog  https://honestliz.com/ a few years ago and she took interest in Cachos Brazil and opened the world to my small business. She not only brought the products to her clients in India but she introduced me to her contacts in other countries. I will always be grateful for her kindness. 

Strong women are those women in my life that stood beside and moved me during many moments in my life. I carry each one of them in my heart and I thank them for helping shape my life and my dreams.