Celebrating women everywhere: Google has honored us all

On Tuesday, March 8, 2011, Google celebrated the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day with the logo that appears above, and I must say, that I, on behalf millions of women everywhere, who have blazed myriad trails in their own lives as well as industry, arts and science - this is a lovely honor.

Recognition oftentimes comes slowly if you are a woman. This, I have learned.

Today, I too am honoring women who are generous in spirit as well as heart, and whose voices have spoken above the crowd and continue to speak for generations yet to come.

Below are words of wisdom from some of the best and greatest women who have influenced my life and many others, and I hope their words and thoughts will touch your life, and the lives of those yet to come.

“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.” ~ Harriet Tubman ~

“There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.” ~ Beverly Sills ~

“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” ~ Maya Angelou ~

“To feel valued, to know, even if only once in a while, that you can do a job well is an absolutely marvelous feeling” ~ Barbara Walters ~

“There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.” ~ Edith Wharton ~

“Do what you feel in your heart to be right- for you'll be criticized anyway. You'll be damned if you do, and damned if you don't. “~ Eleanor Roosevelt ~

"I dwell in possibility…” ~ Emily Dickinson ~

“Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood.” ~ Marie Curie ~

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us most. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and famous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in all of us. And when we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” ~ Maryanne Williamson ~

The commercial that never was…

“I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels.” ~ Maya Angelou ~

Eleven years before Phil Lord and Chris Miller directed last year’s hit family film, CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS, these two brilliant entertainment hyphenates concocted a television commercial that never made it to Saturday mornings – the “Brontë Sisters Power Dolls “

According to Lord and Miller, from their YouTube page, “This was a fake commercial we made in 1998 for a series of educational shorts about action figures based on historical figures. Its educational value was somewhat suspect. It was never aired.”

The commercial parody featured everything one would see in a typical cartoon break, which included kid-friendly action figures slugging it out for dominance of good over evil. The only difference were the action figures, they were based on three Victorian women writers, Emily, Charlotte and Anne Brontë, all who initially wrote under the pen names, Ellis Bell, Currer Bell and Acton Bell respectively. (Such was the fashion of the literary era and the non-acceptance of women as writers.)

How myopic times were then, as all three women produced some of the most enduring and popular novels of all time – Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights and Agnes Grey.

Too bad the commercial below was never allowed to inspire legions of young girls – it’s something, in my humble opinion that Gloria Steinem would relish.

Talk about smashing the glass ceiling with a “Brontesaurus.”