Women's History Month

[Margm]

First off, you men on here, I do not mean to leave you out.  But, this is Women's History Month, so perhaps we honor the ones you all lost.  And, the word "lost" is loosely used.  We have to hold them all in our heart, and I know, above and with all, holding in our heart is such a poor substitute for the worth of our mates.  We want what we cannot have.

“I know God will not give me anything I can’t handle. I just wish that He didn’t trust me so much.” – Mother Teresa

I think sometimes God laughs at me and sometimes he wants to know what I am going to screw up next. I never fail him.

March is Woman's History month. You all know my maternal grandmother was a writer and a survivor. My paternal grandmother was a survivor and lived into her 90's. My paternal aunt lived to her 90's, most of my maternal aunts had long lives and outlived all their husbands. I never considered their grief. I do now, but since my mother is the "Last of the Mohicans," at nearly 95, and her grief was mostly anger at my dad leaving her, I cannot really talk to her about it. At her age, in her Alzheimer's mind she has been married three to five times. She says matter-of-factly, "They were all healthy when I married them, but they died anyhow."

My Daddy Wise used to quote "beware the Ides of March." And, he did pass away in the middle of March. So beware peeps.

I have to get off here, a long drive ahead and still have not packed.

[Guest Janka]

My dear Margaret,

it put a smile on my face.We take the March for the month of the books and in the 8th of March we´ll celebrate the Women´s day,so the best wishes to all !

PS: Tell me what you read and I´ll tell you who you are.

Janka

[Margm]

Right now I am into biographies and autobiographies.  Cannot concentrate too much on fiction.  I am watching Grey's Anatomy on TV with my granddaughter more than anything.  I'll go back to fiction when I can concentrate.

[kayc]

I like history too.  I just recently learned there was another lady ran for president in the 1800s, surprised me, I hadn't heard that!  Of course she couldn't vote.

[Margm]

Wow, I did not know that.  When I was a kid we had library books biographies of famous people and I still like them.  I took on Martha Washington and found I did not like her very much.  Then Teddy Roosevelt and once it got into politics I quit it.  But Burt Reynolds, well I finished that one.  

[kayc]

Benjamin Franklin is my great great great great uncle (through his brother James).  My son and I've enjoyed learning all we could about him.  He once funded a war, he invented the Franklin wood stove, street lamps, was interested in politics, they even asked him to run for president.  He enjoyed France and the philosophical discussions there.  He coined the phrase, a penny saved is a penny earned, he was very frugal.  What a smart, smart man!  Not overly religious, but definitely very interesting and intelligent.

[Margm]

I love genealogy.  Not sure how we go back to Ann Bolyn (sp), but that would have to make Queen Elizabeth a distant relative..  Merriwether Lewis on this side of the pond.  My favorite was a great uncle who went to jail for stealing a pig, and two distant relatives who were outlaws in Louisiana, one was hung, one was shot, I think.  Billy used to try to explain to me second cousin twice removed, etc., but I hate numbers of any kind (except with $ in front of the numbers.  Ben Franklin once wrote a letter to a young friend of his on subjects of the heart.  He told him something about not getting serious about a young woman, to make love to an older woman because they were so grateful.  I googled it once.  I got a kick out of that. 

[MartyT]

I thought this piece by our friend Kelly Buckley fits here:

Portrait of a Strong Wise Woman

One is not born a woman, one becomes one.
~ Simone De Beauvoir~

I've been writing for a number of years now. Books, blogs, speeches, tweets, grocery lists. 

But what I've never really discussed is the thousands of person to person emails I've exchanged with women who have risen above some of the most devastating circumstances one could imagine.

Frankly, I've been quiet about it because I didn't know how to really describe it. I started writing because my son died and my life completely fell apart. Women started to write back because their lives had fallen apart too, and they recognized a little piece of themselves in my shattered bloggable life.   Read on here >>>

[KATPILOT]

I am reminded of a lady who passed just recently. Leaving politics aside, the more I would read about her husband and the relationship they had, the more respect I had for them. They had a love affair indeed and when I read of what it is like for so many of you here, to be a caregiver has it's own special hardship. But Nancy Reagan  was a pretty neat lady who now is part of history. She once said that her life began when she met him. I will never forget that. I thought about the impact she may have had on his life and decisions he might have made.  I understand that now perhaps because so many decisions I have made were made with influence from a very special woman who in some ways saw things I didn't.

When you know that, doesn't making decisions by yourself become awfully frightening?

[Guest]

That, in my mind, defines soulmate: the alpha to my omega, the yin to my yang, the one who would keep me balanced.

 I was dealing with my insurance company re: policy change.  My initial response to frustration with others is to become caustic, Deedo would calm me and help me understand that people are more willing to work with you when you are kind to them.  Alas she wasn't there to settle me, feel bad for the messenger on the other end of that call.

 

[scba]

I love history, I will go back to university to study history when/if I retire. Leaving this aside, I don't like bios I fall asleep with them. But I enjoy novels, I used to read many novels of queens and princesses, like Sissi, Elizabeth 1st, Lady Diana.

Dear Brad, everybody, grief or not, can have a bad day and reply bad to someone. Be kind with yourself. You know it is not your way of behavior.

[kayc]

Historical novels are great because you can learn so much about the historical figure and time period, but they throw in enough to make it interesting.