Shay Shares Her Thoughts About Former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher

One of my idols passed away today, former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, or Baroness Thatcher as she was more recently known. She was 87 years old and hadn't been seen publicly for some time because of health reasons. I didn't always agree with her politics but I thought she was one hell of a woman.

I grew up with Thatcher, politically, the same way I did with President Ronald Reagan and it just so happened they were great friends and allies. She spent quiet a bit of time here in the states and that made me like her even more. She could hold her own against any person no matter race, gender, political party or rank.

I had the opportunity in college to hear her speak and that was a huge day for me. I even worried about what I would wear in the event I got to meet her. This was at Texas A&M and they would have incredible speaking engagements every few months. I had the opportunity to also see and meet Col. Oliver North, even had him sign my book; another great highlight of my college days. Anyway, back to Mrs. Thatcher, she spoke so eloquently but with such a British brogue that some of it was unintelligible. That was alright though, I was in the presence of someone I thought was a beautiful woman, she was a mom and she was in the "boys club" and she was tough as nails. Hence, her nickname, "The Iron Lady" which she embraced as a compliment.

I can still remember what she wore that evening. It was a royal blue dress paired with black heels and a strand of pearls (much like the photo above). She commanded your attention just by her personal confidence. When she walked onto the stage there was a loud round of applause but then the whole room fell silent as she spoke; everyone soaking in her every word. She was a funny woman too. She would add in bits of that humor along with anecdotes and stories from her childhood, being a mom, a wife, daughter and the leader of her country.

Margaret Thatcher was a woman that you could look up to and if you aspired to being just a tenth of who she was then you were on track to being successful. She proved you could have it all. Is it always easy or without sacrifice? Absolutely not. Is it attainable? Absolutely yes. This woman didn't let anyone tell her she couldn't do it; even if she had self-doubt she still powered through to make it happen. Sometimes that cost her friendships, but in her line of business there's no room for fair weather friends.

I'm so glad I had the chance to see her and hear her speak but I am sad I didn't have the chance to tell her what an inspiration she was to young women, like me.