Amazing

I have known many women over the course of my life who have thought that they were strong. Most were merely hard or forces of will. My great-grandmother was a Daughter of the American Revolution and was as stubborn as the famous Missouri Mule from her home state that she was so proud of. She did teach us to play cards when she lived with us for a year and for the good times I am grateful. My grandmother was a stiff backed descendant of Scottish immigrants to Canada and then into Montana and was as dedicated to her opinions a she was to some of her family. I learned how bread is made from freshly ground wheat and what a simple pleasure that can be from her. But, sadly her eldest daughter, my mother, never heard her father say that he loved her till she was fifty years old. When I heard this I promised her that she would always know that I love her and that my children love her too. Some of her other daughters were women who could frighten a dog with their voice and send the animal slinking away. Truly a talent that is rare to behold and worth as much as it seems. Yes, yes, the appearance of strength but not real strength. Sometimes endurance, other times rigidity and anger.

Then there is the strongest woman I know. She decided when she was in school that she wanted to be a teacher, so she found a college with the right program, enrolled and found the funding herself. This school was halfway across the state, but no problem, it’s not that far away. After two years she decided that the program had the wrong focus so she transferred to another college in a large city on the opposite side of the state. Well that was a concern, but there was more to come and she wasn’t worried. So you trust, it is your child and you did everything you could to raise her right.

Then your little girl calls and says she is going to study abroad for six months. No worries, that sounds great, you should do that. Where are you going?

Namibia.

Well…

There is a time in when your life when your daughter tells you something so big that you don’t know what to say. But, this bold young woman has said she is going halfway around the world to practice her profession of teaching and you support her. And she went, worked and had a great experience. She made friends that she still has and will have for the rest of her life. There is also a time in your life where you realize that this person, who you cherish, is also someone that you don’t need to protect, because she is strong and unafraid of the world. You still ask her to skype with you on a regular basis, because you are a dad.

She comes home and completes her studies and starts to teach in the same big city that she went to school in. She chooses to go and teach in Title One schools because that is where teachers are needed. If you don’t know these schools where the students come from low-income households and a stable school environment can be a great anchor for them. Of course she does well. Her school district uses her as an example of classroom success and she works incredibly hard to do a good job for her students.

Every time I talk to her I tell her I love her. I let her know that she is cherished and that she is doing an amazing job. Through this she has remained humble, kind and diligent.

The best thing of them all is that today is her birthday. Another successful trip around the sun. Good job, honey!