Womanhood was an aspect of life that at the tender age of eleven I was longing to achieve. I wanted, and strived, to be called a woman. Yet, I wasn’t one. I was still a little girl. What makes a woman, a woman? Her body? Or position? Her marriage status? Or occupation? Or is it something more?

What is it that makes someone more than just a child? When is it that one becomes an adult?

We all know the biological changes that happen all too awkwardly during the time of being a pre-teenager. Followed by the striving to be independent and free, yet still needing protection as a teenager.

Is it a culture-defined age, such as 18, that makes someone no longer a girl? Is it college that makes us an adult? Well, that couldn’t be, since not every woman attends college.

So, it must be more, and reader, it is. Womanhood, is seen in the mother as she cradles a child late into the night. A woman is someone who stands on the side of justice within her jurisdiction. A woman is a wife, but more importantly, a friend. A woman is one who fights when a battle needs winning, yet stops and cleans the wounds of a weaker one.

Womanhood is so much more than a physical title or appearance. Womanhood comes from within, a given gift for you to embrace. The time of becoming a woman begins when you step beyond the border of a childhood. Your childish thoughts and foolish actions are placed behind you. You, as a woman, step forward in time towards your given calling. Failing at times, getting up, and learning from your mistakes.

The definition of woman is someone who embraces their identity and calling in life. One who can be strong, yet gracefully weak. A beautiful combination of mystery and femininity.

Dear woman, you have been given a gift of splendor and strength, yet also of compassion and merciful living. Do not be swayed or pulled by what the world says you are. Their standard of womanhood is always shifting from one place to the next.

Eliza Downer, is a teacher by day and a writer by night. She can often be found hiking in the nearby ranges of Colorado or sipping a cup of coffee. She lives with her parents and 11 siblings. To read more of her writings, go to http://windowintomyworldblog.wordpress.com/