THE FEISTY, SPIRITED FEMINIST--I CALL HER MOM!!

A few days ago my oldest son and I spoke fondly about my mom--his grandma Millie.  He told his 13-year old

 

 

daughter Morgan that she would have loved her great-grandma because she was one-of-a-kind--a real treasure! 
And he added that she wasn't afraid to speak her mind when she thought people were out-of-line.  As an affirmation of that, I told Morgan about my first grade teacher who tried to make me write right-handed when it was obvious that I was left-handed.  I remember often coming home in tears, and when my mother found out what was going on, she marched off to school and told Mrs. Schumacher that there would be no more of that.  She would be proud to know today that even President Obama is left-handed, as are a number of other recent presidents. 

It took a lot to get my mother upset, but I remember that when I was about ten, a couple of women came to the door, trying to tell my mother that her religion was a mistake and she would not go to heaven if she didn't convert to their religion.  She was respectful at first, but when her own religion was not respected, that was the end of the conversation.  She escorted them out the door and told them not to come back.

As a young child my mother had many childhood illnesses and spent months in two different hospitals.  She spent eight months alone in Shriner's Hospital in Minneapolis, and there was no improvement in her condition.  She was never able to bend her knee, which made her sad because she was never able to ride a bike.  She was also very lonely because she was far away from her family in central Wisconsin.  She could not have visitors for some time because there were several children who were quarantined.  At times she begged her parents to send her paper so she could write to them.  I am thankful that I was able to obtain her hospital records from 90 years ago so I could understand her much better.  I came to appreciate the remarkable woman she was, and the difficult struggles she faced.

My mother and I often had political discussions later in life, and at times we had definite disagreements.  But I do know that she was outspoken about a woman's right to make her own choices in life.  She firmly believed in the value of education, and was proud of her teaching degree and connection with her students in the little town of Fairchild, Wisconsin.  I still love to drive down the streets of that town and imagine what it was like for her as a high school commercial teacher in that small high school.  She encouraged me to pursue a college education and work hard to achieve my dreams.  At times I felt like I must have disappointed her, but she never let me know it.

As Mother's Day nears, I think often of my mom.  She was a very kind and compassionate woman, full of energy, and deep love for my dad and her family, as well as those less fortunate.  She was quirky and very funny at times, and above all, a woman with a deep commitment to basic human rights for all.  She had lived through the time when women had concerns about keeping their teaching jobs if they got married. I think she might have made a great senator, as her high school friend George hinted at in her 1931 yearbook, when he said, "When you get to be a senator or something like that, I'll come and listen to you debate."

So, although my mother might not have fit the traditional definition of a feminist, to me she was every bit of one.  And best of all, she had a heart of gold!!