Hey Gals -
I'm trying to gear up for tomorrow and am really excited to hear about your work over the weekend.
Tomorrow we'll be welcoming Stacey Lennard to our meeting - she founded GEV in 1997! How exciting!
Anyways, to plant a seed for what we'll be doing tomorrow, start thinking about what you believe in, who you believe in and who among the 7 billion people on this planet matter to you and why? Below Below is the "This I Believe" essay that Crystal wrote, perhaps it can spark some great ideas, since you will all be writing your own essays during the coming weeks.
As you begin to think about the people and places that you know an care about, try to take a step back and reflect on our organization wide question of
Who are We, The People? How are ways we are connected? Separated? Divided? United? Encouraged? Educated? How does your role/awareness in the global community inform what you believe in and what you care about?
This I Believe
Crystal Hope Garrity
You needn’t give birth to be a mother, this I believe. There are many women in the world who
serve as mothers without ever harboring a child within her womb. Women who adopt or foster,
women who educate, women who care-take or nurse, women who reach out or support others—
there is a motherhood in all of them. At nineteen, I too am a mother to five beautiful individuals
who are also my friends, peers, and former classmates.
The moment in our junior year that my friend accidentally called me “Mom” was possibly one
of the better moments in my life. It was a moment of embarrassment for him, of course, but I was
ecstatic. I had started calling my classmates “my babies” in tenth grade when I started reminding
them to do their homework and started wiping away their tears and settling class conflicts. We
went to a small school and our class never had more than fourteen students. We all had our roles
in the class. I provided encouragement, helped with homework, listened to the drama, held
hands, brought food, cleaned up messes, and checked in with everybody daily. If we had a break
during the day, I would sometimes even rub their hair gently until they drifted into a catnap,
much like my own mother did to me as a child when I couldn’t sleep. I don’t really know how I
ended up in this position, but I have.
It isn’t that my classmates have no mothers of their own. It isn’t as if they don’t have support
elsewhere. But something within me made me reach out to them as a motherly figure. I nurtured
them the same way I would nurture my own children. I cared for them, and in return they treated
me well. They were a comfort to me just as I was a comfort to them. Two years after our
graduation pulled us in different directions, I still get phone calls asking for advice, just like I
call my mom for advice when I need a little guidance.
This I believe: a mother is much more than just a woman who births a child. I call myself a
mother because I have sons and daughters who rely on me, “dependants,” in a sense. To be a
good mother, you must be patient, kind, supportive, and able to love unconditionally. You must
be willing to sacrifice your own interests for your sons and daughters. Whether you are a
biological mother or simply a woman who holds the title, it is an immense and rewarding
responsibility.
