Dear women:

I love you. I may not know you, but I love you. You are strong in ways only a woman can be strong. In a way that only you can be strong. I respect you. I respect the ground that you walk on. I respect what makes you unique and authentically you.

I love you when you are your strongest. When you have conquered your monsters, when you have overcome your obstacles. When your roar vibrates every corner of your being. I love you then.

I love you at your normal. At your everyday. In your pyjamas on your couch binge watching Friends on Netflix. Making coffee in your kitchen and texting your best friend with obscure emojis. Or in the bathroom picking up the towels and socks that have somehow piled up in every corner. Even stooped over in the fridge digging through for something quick and easy to fuel you. I love you then.

I love you at your weakest. In those moments of frailness and exhaustion. When you feel like giving up what you've been fighting for. When you feel like crawling into bed and never leaving. Those moments spent sitting at the bottom of your shower while the cascading shower-head washes away your tears of frustration. I love you then.

My point is, women, I love you always. I love you as feminists, I love you even if you don't identify as a feminist. I love you as women who face everyday knowing that your daily battle is just a little bit harder then your husbands, your fathers, or your brothers. I love you because you still show up and work your ass off at a job that tells you your worth is about 30% less than your male counter-part. I love you if you've ever had an abortion. If you've ever miscarried. If you were born in a body you don't identify with. If you've ever fought with someone over the internet about your reproductive rights. If you've ever been sent unsolicited sexual advances online. If you've been sent hateful and aggressive (down-right terrifying) messages for saying you weren't interested. If you've ever been cat-called or followed down the street. I love you as women who have to check the back of their cars before they get in because they parked in a parkade into the later hours of the evening.

I love you as my sisters. I love you, women, more than I love anything else. Because I see you. Because I hear you. And because I just love you. I will fight for you, and I will never stop fighting for you. That is my promise.

Photos taken at the Victoria BC Women's March 2017. Featuring Kate Juniper.

A Note to the Women in My Life