Saturday, March 10, 2012

Thought for the day, continued...

My post of last evening WAS a bit snarky - it really wasn't meant to be. It was just that kind of a day.

You see I'm from the tail end of a generation that still kept women in the home - we were still, more often than not, the ones who kept hearth and home. My parents, though, were very progressive for their time - they encouraged all of us kids (both boys and girls) to follow their dreams, no matter what and be happy doing what we did best. And, to think for ourselves - to be able to take care of ourselves no matter what the situation. The boys learned to cook and sew - the girls worked right along with Dad. We all know that hammers and screwdrivers are neither right or left-handed, but will work both ways.

When I was widowed at a young age and with a 5 1/2 month old baby girl, I was thrown into situations that made the point clear of the mindset that we were still thought of not as second class, but not really as capable as men.

One case was when I was waiting to take possession of a new home, but needed to make a couple of repairs in the current one. The bathroom faucet was leaking - I knew what I needed to fix it, but when I went to the local hardware and asked for help finding the correct faucet stem, the response to me was "Well, little lady, don't you have a man who can help you with that??"

After I walked out, the hardware store across town was where I got the help I needed without any attitude. You see, just because I'm a woman doesn't mean that my brain doesn't function as well as, or even better in some cases, than a man's. (Of course, my dad got a chuckle out of the story - with a huge smile on his face.)

My daughter is a good example of what women can do - she's wise, talented, capable, thoughtful and the best Mom I know. I'm very proud of her - not just because she's my daughter, but because of who and what she is - a great woman!

So, with that, I'll simply add a reminder to:

Be the kind of woman who when your feet hit the floor in the morning, the devil shouts " Oh, Crap! She's up!"

And, for everyone -

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