WOMEN

Women have strengths that amaze men.

They carry children, they carry hardships,
they carry burdens but they hold happiness,
love and joy.

They smile when they want to scream.
They sing when they want to cry.
They cry when they are happy and
laugh when they are nervous.
Women wait by the phone for a
"safe at home call" from a friend
after a snowy drive home.

Women have special qualities about them.
They volunteer for good causes.
They are pink ladies in hospitals,
they bring food to shut ins.
They are childcare workers, executives,
attorneys, stay-at-home moms,
biker babes and your neighbors.

They wear suits, jeans,
and they wear uniforms.

They fight for what they believe in.
They stand up for injustice.
They are in the front row at PTA meetings.
They vote for the person that will
do the best job for family issues.
They walk and talk the extra mile
to get their children in the right schools
and for getting their family
the right health care.
They write to the editor, their congressmen
and to the "powers that be" for things
that make for a better life.

They don't take "NO" for an answer
when they believe there is a better solution.
They stick a love note
in their husband's lunch box.
They do without new shoes so
their children can have them.
They go to the doctor
with a frightened friend.

They love unconditionally.


Women are honest, loyal, and forgiving.
They are smart,
knowing that knowledge is power.
But they still know how to use
their softer side to make a point.
Women want to be the best for their family,
their friends, and themselves.

They cry when their children excel
and cheer when their friends get awards.
They are happy when they hear
about a birth or a new marriage.
Their hearts break when a friend dies.
They have sorrow at the loss
of a family member,yet they are strong
when they think there is no strength left.

A woman's touch can cure any ailment.
They know that a hug and a kiss can heal
a broken heart.


A Woman
can make a romantic evening unforgettable.


Women come in all sizes,
in all colors and shapes.
They live in homes, apartments and cabins.
They drive, fly, walk, run or e-mail you
to show how much they care about you.
The heart of a woman
is what makes the world spin!

Women do more than just give birth.
They bring joy and hope.
They give compassion and ideals.
They give moral support
to their family and friends.
And all they want in return is a hug,
a smile and for you to do the same
to people you come in contact with.
Women have a lot to say and a lot to give.

That which does not destroy
her only makes her stronger.

Women are
beautiful Angels
who dwell among us.




The Night Has a Thousand Eyes,
And the day but one;
Yet the light of the bright world dies
With the dying sun.

The mind has a thousand eyes,
And the heart but one;
Yet the light of a whole life dies
When love is done.

~Francis Bourdillon~



Do you know what you and I are?

A few months ago,
when I was picking up the children at school,
another mother I knew well, rushed up to me.
Emily was fuming with indignation.

"Do you know what you and I are?"
she demanded.

Before I could answer --
and I didn't really have one handy --
she blurted out the reason for her question.
It seemed she had just returned
from renewing her driver's license
at the County Clerk's office.
Asked by the woman recorder
to state her "occupation,
" Emily had hesitated,
uncertain how to classify herself.

"What I mean is," explained the recorder,
"Do you have a job,
or are you just a ......?"

    "Of course I have a job," snapped Emily.
    "I'm a mother."

    "We don't list 'mother' as an occupation...
    'housewife' covers it,"
    said the recorder emphatically.

    I forgot all about her story until one day
    I found myself in the same situation,
    this time at our own Town Hall.
    The Clerk was obviously a career woman, poised,
    efficient, and possessed of a high-sounding title,
    like "Official Interrogator" or "Town Registrar."

    "And what is your occupation?" she probed.

    What made me say it, I do not know.
    The words simply popped out.
    "I'm....a Research Associate
    in the field of Child Development
    and Human Relations."

    The clerk paused,
    ball-point pen frozen in midair,
    and looked up as though
    she had not heard right.
    I repeated the title slowly,
    emphasizing the most significant words.
    Then I stared with wonder
    as my pompous pronouncement
    was written in bold, black ink
    on the official questionnaire.

    "Might I ask," said the clerk with new interest,
    "just what you do in your field?"

    Coolly,
    without any trace of fluster in my voice,
    I heard myself reply,
    "I have a continuing program of research
    (what mother doesn't)
    in the laboratory and in the field
    (normally I would have said indoors and out).
    I'm working for my Masters
    (the whole darned family)
    and already have four credits
    (all daughters).

    Of course, the job is one of the most demanding
    in the humanities (any mother care to disagree)?
    And I often work 14 hours a day
    (24 is morelike it).
    But the job is more challenging than most
    run-of-the-mill careers and the rewards
    are in satisfaction rather than just money."

      There was an increasing note of respect
      in the clerk's voice as she completed the form,
      stood up, and personally ushered me to the door.

        As I drove into our driveway
        buoyed up by my glamorous new career,
        I was greeted by my lab assistants--age 13, 7, and 3.
        And upstairs, I could hear our new experimental model
        (six months)
        in the child-development program,
        testing out a new vocal pattern.

        I felt triumphant.
        I had scored a beat on bureaucracy.
        And I had gone down on the official records as someone
        more distinguished and indispensable to mankind than
        "just another......"

        Home...what a glorious career.
        Especially when there's a title on the door.


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