I love the meaning of the word, verve. It is a woman’s ability to pull off life with her panache; self-assurance, flair, spirit, and vigor. Vevre enters our life ‘later than soon’ because it takes a woman time to mature and trust her authentic self; the quality of being genuine.

Have you taken the time to think about the years you have spent learning and executing your mental, spiritual, social, and emotional skills? And, have you thought about the important and trivial details you have built into the landscape of your mind; some larger than life, some as tiny as a freckle?

If you have taken note of your verve, you triumphed because it is what sets you apart from the crowd and gives you verve; a quiet self-assurance. Other women notice YOU — not the rings on your fingers and bells on your toes!

You arrived because you know who you are. To know the ‘real you,’ is to own yourself.

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 Women over 50: Celebrate Visibility

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WHY I WEAR RED LIPSTICK AS A WOMAN OVER 50

WHAT ARE YOU SAYING TO THE WORLD?

You are saying to others women you trust your instincts. Your elegance does not come from the dress you are wearing, it comes from, you, the woman inside your dress. Authenticity and personal inner elegance is verve.

It is Sunday, the day of rest. Please take time to sit in a quiet space with mindful music playing in the background. Take a plunge into the corners of your mind to celebrate who you are. Take out your journal and pen.

Your goal is to reveal in writing what makes you a first-rate version of yourself. Take notes, make bullet points, write a poem or a story about your lifelong experiences, even trivia.

Yes, darling, It takes years of self-growth to create verve but when you have it you own it and can say, I am a fierce woman because I respect the woman I have become.

MY CONNECTION WITH WOMEN WHO HAVE VERVE!

Over the years, I have had the pleasure of meeting some extraordinary women. They all earned the title in my mind of ‘women having verve. My favorites were Gerda Weissmann Klein, Barbara Walters, and Joan Rivers.

The others, Lee Radziwill, Jacquline Kennedy Onassis, Greta Van Susteren, Katie Couric, the Queen of Thailand, and Jean Kilpatrick, sparked a personal feeling but not as much as the first three on the list. And, I cannot leave out some very very special friends with verve.

A MEETING WITH LEE RADZIWILL

I met Lee Radziwill at the Ritz Hotel in Madrid, Spain. We walked up to the concierge, at the same time, wearing the same top! I still have mine. It is gorgeous. All white with seed pearls all over the bodice and a sheer back. The sleeves are long with the front of the sleeve seed pearls and the back sheer. An Armani. Probably my favorite designer.

We stared at one another and started laughing! Then we complimented one another’s taste. The rest of the conversation is blurry in my mind. Lee Radziwill was beautiful, far more beautiful than her sister, Jackie, in my mind. Her posture and her smile generated a verve. I can still see her smile.

A LAUGH WITH KATIE COURIC

My husband, my ultimate concierge, was a hoot the night we sat on the shore in lounge chairs right behind Katie Couric and her family, listening to the Boston Pops on Nantucket. She was serving guacamole and chips to her family and my hubby said, “Katie would you mind sharing the wealth?” She even laughed!

We all laughed and we all shared her guacamole! A night to remember. Katie Couric had verve because she was a good sport and had a genuine and contagious smile.

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A SPECIAL ENCOUNTER WITH JACQUELINE KENNEDY ONASSIS

I met Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis when she was a widow in the shell shop at the Ocean Reef Club in Florida. She was dressed in wrinkled white shorts, a black T-shirt, and thongs on her feet. No nail polish on her fingers or her toes. A gold band on her wedding finger, and no sunglasses so I could see her big brown eyes. Her hair was thin and she was not particularly pretty. I know you must be shocked. I was.

Our conversation was short. I walked up to her and told her I was a great admirer of her husband, President Kennedy. She smiled, took my hand, and said, “Yes, he is missed.” We shared a few more words and said our goodbyes. The eyes did it. Piercing. And, her ability to be ‘real.’ No pretense in her outfit or manner. She emoted verve.

HOW I KNOW JEAN KILPATRICK HAD VERVE

Jean Kilpatrick came to a real estate auction my husband was running in Washington, DC. The property was a gorgeous brownstone that needed a facelift. I remember her height and her posture. She was extremely tall and carried herself with such assurance.

That and her intellect created an imposing verve. She was the highest bidder and turned the brownstone into a school! How lovely is that?

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A TOUCHING MOMENT WITH BARBARA WALTERS

Barbara Walters and I met at La Grenouille, my favorite French restaurant in Manhattan. Years prior, my ultimate concierge met her while on a double date. His good friend had brought her along as his date and they’d spent the evening together.

On the night that I met Barbara, she was sitting at the table next to me and my ultimate concierge. She was with a group of friends from London, Madrid, and Paris. My husband left our table, walked up to theirs, and spoke to Barbara. Our tables were almost touching so I could see the animation on their faces.

Suddenly, she put up her hand to wave me over. I recall we were both dressed in white that evening. When I was by her side in front of everyone she told me I was beautiful! Then I leaned down to her and said in her ear, “Thank you. You are a woman of substance.” She was very moved and squeezed my hand. A woman who can compliment another woman has verve.

AN UNFORGETTABLE DAY WITH GERDA KLEIN

Gerda Weissmann Klein was a Holocaust survivor. A video of her is in the Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC. As many of you sweet readers know, I am a proud Jewish woman who loves her heritage and is proud to have a homeland.

When I lived in Honolulu I was the Chairman for the Woman’s Division of the Jewish United Fund for the State of Hawaii. I invited Gerda Weissmann Klein to be a speaker at a women’s event.

When she arrived in Honolulu she asked me to take her to the Arizona Memorial. The two of us walked to the spot where the oil still surfaces. She took an evergreen branch from her large bag, looked me in the eye as she dropped the branch into the oil slick, and said in her soft voice, “If the Japanese had not attacked Pearl Harbor, forcing America to enter the war, my grandchildren would not have been born.” We both cried.

Gerda spent her life giving back. She spoke all over the world. She had the best kind of verve, and to this day, I am honored to have spent time in her presence.

YOU ARE A WOMAN WITH VERVE

I leave my friends for last, but my friends are not least. You know who you are. You are women of all ages, faiths, and income levels. You are discoverers in your own right. Each of you live your lives living life to the fullest; outside the box.

You all possess inner beauty. You are collectors of world class photography and write poetry. You travel the world, give back through volunteering your time, money, and energy. Many of you are successful entrepreures and business woman. Are in the service business, and all of you are kind, loving, and authentic. You have opened my life into your worlds and I love you all. You have all earned your personal, verve. Amen. Amen.

If you are not a member of one of my Facebook groups, I would love for you to join me. Come find your supportive community of like-minded women! Join these private Facebook groups:

 Women over 50: Celebrate Visibility

Sisters in Widowhood: Life Transition

 Estranged Mothers and Grandmothers: Millions Strong