What does it take to be a heroine?

Definition heroine:
1 a: a mythological or legendary woman having the qualities of a hero b: a woman admired and emulated for her achievements and qualities
2 a: the principal female character in a literary or dramatic work b: the central female figure in an event or period

I have thought about the idea of who I consider to be heroines to me following the sad news of the death of Tasha Tudor on June 18 of this year at the age of 92. What a special woman she was! I went to the family's online register as I wanted to add my condolenses. It was time to put into words what she meant to me in my heart. I wanted to express how her lifestyle gave me a peace that will always stay with me.


She was a soul who walked life to her own pace. She followed her heart in making the old ways all new again.


Her stories and illustrations are now an everlasting testimony of her life left here with generations to come.


The loss of this gentle soul is a loss for all of us!


I then started thinking about other woman who I think of as heroines and why...


There is the amazing Edith Holden who wrote The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady. I admire her keen observation of the natural countryside around her. She not only recorded things in words but also in her beautiful drawings.


Who are some of my literary heroines? Well, first would be the Bronte Sisters. I find them so definition intriging. Their life on the Yorkshire Moors seeped into their very beings to influence them in their writing.


I not only love the intense novels they left for us but also learning about their lives in Haworth. There is something so magical about Haworth which draws me back there over and over. I never tire of visiting the steep street of this little Yorkshire village or going through the rooms of the Parsonage which seem filled with the sisters' spirits.


Then there is Jane Austen who comical whit and romance cannot help but inspire. We can all identify with Elizabeth Bennett, Emma, Anne Elliot or Eleanor. There is perhaps a little of them in each woman...


Beatrix Potter is someone who you seem to admire the more you learn about her. She was a complex woman far beyond her time and yet very much of her time.


As a child, you cannot help but be amused by her stories and illustrations but viewing her as an adult you discover a woman who strived to conserve the beauty of the countryside of her beloved Lake District.


She passed away, like most of these women, doing what she was destined to do in life and leaving a legacy behind.


Now when I started thinking about this post, I decided that I had to include one fictional heroine who I think is very real to many of us. Who else but Mary Poppins...practically perfect in every way!


What little girl did not want to be that wonderful nanny who flies through the sky with her talking umbrella, can sit on a cloud, jumps into an animated picture or goes up the chimney to 'step in time' with the chimney sweeps.


She taught us that a spoonful of sugar is good for anything!


And finally, a modern heroine for me is Susan Branch.


I discovered her when she brought out her first cookbook and will never forget sitting on my sister's couch reading each and every word out loud to her.


Since then she has branched out to have shops and design quilt fabrics. I love her sense of vintage style mixed with homespun charms. If you are not familiar with her, you can check out her website here.


I can think of more woman that are heroines but this is already a very long post. If you hang around a while, you can hear many of the Mary Poppins tunes. Do you have any woman who you admire who have influenced you in your thinking and lifestyle?