On this Mother's Day, we should pay tribute to all the Women in our lives. They may be our Mothers, Grandmothers, Aunts, Teachers or just a neighbor down the street. We all have women who helped shape us into who we are today. Let's face it, without women, none of would be here. So whether you are a Mother or not, I salute you in this, your day.
Follow me down and I'll tell you about the women in my life and then you can tell me about the women in your life. . . .
My Great Grandmother came from Poland in 1882. She never learned to speak English, but with the help of her English/Polish prayer book, she could learned to read English. She would read the San Antonio newspaper to the customers in her store. She translated the entire thing into Polish. She taught her sons that women were equal to men and they'd better never forget it.
My Grandmother was born in 1905 and was hell on wheels. She insisted that all her children would get an education and finish High School. They all did. To this woman, education was the most important thing in life. She told my sister and me that if we decided to get married, we should live with the guy first. She said you never knew someone until you lived with them. You can't imagine our shock when this devout Catholic woman told us this. She died this year at the age of 100 years and 5 months.
My Mom, born in 1922, was a child of the depression. But to her, life wasn't any different than what it had been. To help her family out, she went to work at the age of 14 as a cook/housekeeper. She managed to go to High School while doing this. She was the first in her family to graduate. From her, I got my love of reading. My Mom would insist that we all read every night. She taught us that there was a whole world out there just waiting for us. For a girl from a small Polish community, she could play a mean game of tennis and has trophies from a High School in San Antonio to prove it. She raised 4 kids (2 boys and 2 girls) to be equals. We all did the same chores whether they were outside on the farm or inside. My brothers cooked and cleaned just like us girls. My sister and I drove the tractor and worked in the fields. It was share and share alike.
All of these women sacrificed in one way or the other for the next generation down to me. Through them, I learned to think for myself. I learned to be independent. I knew that I could always take care of myself. They helped me understand that I could be what ever I wanted to be. It was up to me to work for what I wanted. These women were my roles models and taught me to pass on what they taught me to others. For this, I thank them.
Today I salute the women who fought to give women the right to vote. The women who demanded the right to birth control. The women who fought to make abortion legal and stop the dying in back alleys. I salute all the women who have dedicated their lives to teaching. I thank the Mom on the street whose home was a home away from home to all the kids in the neighborhood. I salute the women who came before me and helped make my life easier. I say a small prayer for the women who have lost a child and feel that loss on this day of days. May history never forget the role women have played in our lives and may we always salute your sacrifices to give future generations of women a better chance to reach for the stars.
Who are the women in your life that helped shape you into who you are today?