It’s such a grand thing to be a mother of a mother
— that’s why the world calls her grandmother.
— Unknown
This quote has taken on new meaning to me as my first granddaughter was born on March 22, 2017. It is a startling revelation to walk through a hospital door and see your baby girl holding a baby girl in her arms. My heart leapt with joy and felt such a profound love at the fact that my daughter is now a mother! These first few weeks of watching my daughter maneuver through sleep cycles and responding to her little daughter’s every need has been so heartwarming. It truly is a miracle to see two people instantaneously fall in love with each other and to witness my daughter so naturally adapt to taking on this role of loving another human more than herself for the rest of her days – becoming a wonderful Mother.
As her “Mimi” (Grandmother) I wonder what kind of world will my granddaughter live in when she is 21 as an adult? I pray it is a world where all are created equal and racism and discrimination are words she never learns the meaning of, as she lives in a world where all men and women are TRULY created equal. My wish for her is that she never knows the phrase, “the gender pay gap” as I hope in her adult world it no longer exists and we no longer have an equal pay awareness day. And, when she enters through the doors of her first career she is truly an equal, and is judged only on her talent, experience and merit. I also hope that equality exists in all areas of her life, that she can be anything, do anything and she can achieve whatever her heart desires and that glass ceilings have long been shattered and the sky is truly the limit.
Celebrating now four generations of women who are alive in my family, I am humbled by the strength and tenacity of my Mother and Grandmothers that created an amazing life for me. On this wonderful holiday, Mother’s Day, where we recognize those responsible for bringing us into this world and loving and caring for us, I hope we reflect on all the brave Mothers in our families who have brought us to this special day. I hope you celebrate those wonderful women who instantaneously fell in love with you, believed in you, and told you, you could be anything and that you could achieve your dreams. And, I hope we take time to reflect on and recognize those truly brave Mothers’ in our families who fought for women’s right to vote, immigrated to foreign lands seeking a better life for you, and worked tirelessly to feed you, clothe you educate you, and, broke through the barriers of their time. I am humbled by these women and honored to be their descendent and I stand upon their shoulders as I strive to create a path for my daughters, and now my granddaughter, that is greater and grander than the path I have been so privileged to walk.
Working as the Director of Development at the YWCA Metropolitan Phoenix, being a mother and now a grandmother, it is my honor to work to propel the YWCA’s mission of Eliminating Racism and Empowering Women, so one day my granddaughter will live in a world of true equality for all men and women and whatever her wildest dreams are, she is empowered to achieve them. I do believe this world is possible.