I Am a Woman Finding My Voice: Celebrating the Extraordinary Blessings of Being a Women

by Janet Quinn

Overview

This celebration of womanhood, with a foreword by Dr. Joan Borysenko, delights in the joy of the feminine soul. In a time when it might not be politically correct to speak of such a uniquely feminine soul, Quinn takes the position that finding one's own authentic voice is imperative if we are to value a universal livelihood of love and community.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780061922619
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	05/05/2009
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	160
File size:	435 KB

About the Author

Janet F. Quinn, Ph.D., registered nurse, associate professor, and distinguished researcher of Therapeutic Touch, has been profiled in The New York Times, Time, and Utne Reader. She makes her home in Boulder, Colorado.

Read an Excerpt

I Am a Woman Finding My Voice
Celebrating The Extraordinary Blessings Of Being A WomanI Am a Woman

My most fundamental truth is that I am a woman. From the moment I was conceived, I have been female; daughter of creation; girl-child becoming woman; living, being, dying, woman. Working, playing, singing, loving, woman. It is the only thing that will never change. It is one thing that I know about myself finally and certainly. Why has this obvious truth escaped me for so long? Why have I spent so many years fighting to be thought of and treated as "a person" rather than valued and esteemed as a woman? Such a betrayal of my essence, this neutered equality. I am equal to, but not the same as, men — and I thank the Divine that it is so! I claim and celebrate my being, be-ing, in this world as

WOMAN — with womanvalues and womanviews and womanrhythms and womanblood and womanheart and womansoul. I am a Woman

I Am a Woman Finding My Voice

Did I first lose my voice when I learned not to cry too loud or make too much noise so I didn't wake up Daddy? Or was it when I learned that talking in church was a sin (unless it was to a priest)? Was it the first time I didn't say what was inside of me because I didn't want to make someone mad, or was it the first time that I said what wasn't true because I didn't want to hurt someone's feelings? No matter now. Now, I am finding my voice! I am laughing, screaming, crying, and cooing! I am making delighted sounds and angry sounds. I growl and moan, and I sing and chant! I offer soft and sweet words of comfort and passion and I speak loud, clear words of outrage and opposition. I am makingholy noise and I am keeping holy, holy silence. Finding my voice means that I claim my freedom to express myself. It means that I speak only what is true for me, and that I will never be silenced again. I am a woman finding my voice!

I Am a Woman Finding My Voice
Celebrating The Extraordinary Blessings Of Being A Woman. Copyright (c) by Janet Quinn . Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Available now wherever books are sold.

What People are Saying About This

Judith Duerk

This book sings with life! Janet Quinn's spirit fills every page with the exuberance of being a woman and reaches out to us with her vibrant healing energy. Her stories strengthen and inspire us and ground us in a hearty, loving Feminine. A gift to nurture the woman of today, needed by every one of us!
— (Judith Duerk, author of Circle of Stones and I Sit Listening to the Wind)

Rachel Naomi Remen

Over the past twenty years, countless women have done violence to their own femininity in the belief that this would make them stronger and more whole. If you are one of them, this book will heal you. The voice that Janet Quinn has found is a genuine woman's voice, intimate, compassionate and wise.
— (Rachel Naomi Remen, M.D., author of Kitchen Table Wisdom)

Barbara Dossey

I am a Woman Finding My Voice is the essence of the Feminine. This book draws the reader to an inner space of solitude, which creates a greater awareness of one's essential being. Janet Quinn's truth, integrity, and inner wisdom guide us to a deeper understanding of a woman's life journey. It reminds us to more fully connect with the rich threads of our stories, vision, and dreams to weave a tapestry in our healing journey.
— (Barbara Dossey, R.N., MS, author of Florence Nightingale, Rituals of Healing, and Ahna Holistic Nursing)