We Can Be Constant Gardeners
Those were the words used by Michelle Norris on MS NOW paying tribute to Gloria Steinem, she was a constant gardener. A metaphor that can inspire us all!
Gloria Steinem, who died on September 2, 2026, was a constant gardener for the causes she fought for. She pushed boundaries, she paved the way for others to do what they dreamed. Ronan Farrow described Gloria as an activist “who taught a generation how to live with a sense of purpose and justice.”
Melinda French Gates wrote: “Generational change doesn’t happen by accident or fate – it takes leaders like Gloria Steinem, who worked hand in hand with so many others to build a lasting movement. The decades of energy, brilliance and advocacy she devoted to women’s rights helped so many of us see that we belonged at the tables where decisions are made. Her dedication helped illuminate a simple truth: when women can stand in their power, they invite everyone else to stand a little taller, too. What a light she was for me and so many others. What a debt we owe her.”
“Gloria showed us what it means to use your voice, challenge the systems that diminish women, radically reimagine a more just world – and then have the courage to build it. Her life is a blueprint for the work still ahead of us.” The thoughts of Elaine Welteroth, author and Birthfund founder.
Gloria appeared in the Netflix series, Famous Last Words, the day after her death. Her last words to the camera were: “Please tell your own story. This is the most important thing we can do for each other: to know each other through stories, and I hope so much that whoever you are, listening right now, you are able to do what you love to be also the unique person you are.”
How can we each be a constant gardener for the causes that are important to us? We can tell our story. We can join a rally. We can donate to a candidate. We can speak truth to power.
A constant gardener knows she must garden each season, not just the season when she can see the fruits of her labor. Right now, many of us feel it is winter, though that’s not what the calendar shows. A constant gardener works even harder through the winter, knowing that is how her garden will sprout in the spring and flourish in the summer.
Let us remember the words of Wendell Berry in his poem, “Our Real Work.”
“To remember that we don’t need to (nor can we) do everything but rather, simply something.
To inspire others. To love our neighbors.
To be of use and work for the good of all.
To rest and replenish. To tend to the earth.
To not give up no matter what.”
Wendell Berry died on August 3, 2026. He never gave up!
Dolly Parton, who died on August 25, 2026, never gave up! By the time she died, her Imagination Library had delivered more than 232 million books to more than 3 million children.
Imagine yourself a constant gardener – like Gloria, Wendell, and Dolly
