Women’s History Month
This year’s Women’s History Month theme is “Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories.” And what stories can we women tell; my stories come from the women who influenced me: my mother and grandmother.
The stories I pass down are different from theirs, but my stories are developed from the roots they gave me. Today, I am the product of women who had a life more challenging than mine but demonstrated the tenacity, courage, and will not to give up daily.
My grandmother was born in 1902. She was not a high school graduate. She made it thru eighth grade, which in the early 1900s was a significant accomplishment.
In her day, common sense and the ability to survive were far more critical than education. My grandmother lived thru the depression, got married, had her two babies at home, and accomplished this without the conveniences we enjoy today.
She did not have indoor plumbing, disposable diapers, or microwaveable dinners. Finally, in her 50s, an electric stove came into the house, along with a refrigerator. I recall helping her churn to make fresh butter and playing under her quilt rack during the winter when indoor tasks were completed.
The farthest she traveled from where she was born and grew up was about 75 miles when she had cancer surgery, and the hospital and subsequent treatments required travel to the city. My grandmother was a survivor and someone who passed down her spirit, mental and moral strength to me.
My mother was born in 1928. She did graduate from high school, but during her time, possibilities were not much more accessible, particularly in a rural community with few growth opportunities.
She moved to a larger city, graduated from nursing school, and became a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN). She worked until her retirement for one of the more progressive hospitals, a pioneer in research and heart transplants.
Although my mother came into the world via home birth, my sister and I were born in a hospital. My mother enjoyed more home conveniences, but life was still not much easier for women in the working world. She was her own trailblazer making it in an environment where women still were not fully recognized for their talents. Her nursing skills, empathy, and desire to help others were passed down to me.
I’m a combination of two powerful women. I have all their character traits, which I continue to build upon. I have my grandmother’s strength and determination, but I also have my mother’s softer side of caring for and helping others. I think it’s a perfect combination that I have passed down thru my bloodline to my granddaughter.
My granddaughter’s lifetime will differ from mine, my mother and my grandmother’s. But I take comfort in knowing that her genes are filled with the qualities of all of us, and there’s no limit to where she can go and her own stories she will be able to tell.