Thankfully, I have the spirit of my grandmother on my dad's side. The strongest woman I know. Recently, I went to my uncle's funeral in Puerto Rico. Granted, I never knew him that well but his sons (my cousins) are close to me and I wanted to be there for the family. I recognized that it was the hardest thing to see the my grandmother cry as I could had never imagined her doing so.

I had to become very independent when I was pretty young, around 14. There were somethings going on with my life, including my parent's divorce, which lead me to just do everything on my own so I didn't have to burden my family. Over time, I have just become so accustomed to taking care of myself. I realize it can be a blessing and a curse. A blessing because I rarely worry knowing that all my ducks are in a row and a curse because it is hard to let of responsibilities when you might need to sometimes.

Recently, I read an article Ask a Guy: Are Men Intimidated by Strong Women. Here are some points which I would like to share:

When someone is secure and self-sufficient:

They don’t need to control other people. They are relaxed and guide without
They have tact and compassion – they can say what they mean clearly without being offensive or arguing.
They have nothing to prove - they do as they do for their own reasons and desires.
They are whole and fulfilled because they live their life by their own standards and don’t seek fulfillment through others.
They are emotionally open and unguarded. They are secure enough to know that they can defend themselves if necessary, so they don’t need to keep a constant guard up to drive people away. Insecure people guard their emotions highly, since they fear that if they let their guard down they’ll lose themselves in another person or get hurt."

My point is a strong woman should be appreciated and cherished. We aren't naggy and helpless. We have a voice and like to hold conversations, laugh and have a good time because we know everything else is taken care of. If you have a strong woman in your life, don't let her go. She will be an inspiration.