The former prime minister of Pakistan was an inspiration to many Moms around the world.

Cathy at Mom•Logic, who considered Benazir a personal hero, had this to say about her passing and her legacy:

Yesterday, the world lost an extraordinary woman too soon—a 54-year-old wife, mother of three, patriot and two-term prime minister of Pakistan. Benazir Bhutto, the first female prime minister of an Islamic nation, made these milestones in a Muslim culture that demands women cover their skin, their hair, and sometimes their entire face to exemplify "khimar"—the privilege of dressing modestly.

The young Pakistani woman, who could be caught fixing lipstick under her veiled headscarf, returned from a stellar academic performance at Harvard and Oxford to share the intellectual freedoms she learned there with her people. Bhutto was nurtured in the ways and the politics of Pakistan—in a powerful patriarchal family. She didn't buck the system—but she found a way to thrive within it and to fight for what she believed was the greater good—democracy for her beloved Pakistan. She paid the ultimate price for her beliefs on Thursday morning when she was assasinated while reaching from a motorcade to touch the hands of those who had gathered to see her. She leaves behind three teenagers —a 19-year old son, Bilawal, and two daughters—Bakhtawar,17 and Aseefa, 14.

Her children are reportedly inconsolable, but they were also well aware of their mother's passion. The children spent eight years with her in exile, to return this past October to another threat on her life. There are those who say no mother should ever put her children in such close proximity to peril. But Bhutto parented as she was parented. She saw her father hanged in an execution, and her two brothers were assassinated.
 
So Benazir Bhutto, a world and a culture away, was killed yesterday fighting for principles we cherish as women raising families in a democratic society. Though probably of little comfort to her three children now, it is worth taking note of their mother's thoughts on being a woman, a leader and a mother. Prime Minister Bhutto left a true legacy—regardless of your politics or culture. Perhaps it is best illustrated by hearing from her—in her own words. Below is an excerpt from a BBC interview with Bhutto about women and power.
 
On having it all—husband, kids and career: "When I was growing up, I thought a woman could have it all. And now I find that yes, a woman can have it all, but she has to be prepared to pay the price. And the price means a lot of guilt about not being there for your children when they need you, a lot of tension also with your husband on work schedules. So you find you can have a husband, you can have a family, you can have a career. But you have very little time left for yourself. That's a choice I made, and it brought me a lot of satisfaction. But for those who want to start out, I would say there is a price that has to be paid."
 
On pregnancy and being vulnerable to the opposition: "I was brought up to believe that a woman can do anything that a man can. But there are certain things that only women can do, such as carry a child. And I found myself in very strange position because each time I was pregnant, my political opponents somehow thought I would be paralysed and they would plot against me particularly at those points. My political opponents had me teargassed when I was carrying my youngest child. It was a pretty harrowing experience. I found that the old-fashioned notion that a woman who's expecting a child has to be bedridden was absolutely wrong, a woman can do anything if she's lucky enough not to have morning sickness." 

 
Ideas about her own legacy: "I would like to be remembered for overturning a military dictatorship and heralding a world of democracy in Pakistan, and for bringing in changes which could not be reversed, which included an independent press and the move towards free markets. But above all, I want to be remembered for what I did for women. My identity comes ultimately from being a woman, and I felt that my life has to make a difference to the lives of other women. So in terms of population control, or in terms of exposing domestic violence, or in terms of permitting women easy access to credit to start business of their own, I have always done my best to allow women to succeed."