64 - The final closure.

Here we are ... the final posting. I can't believe it has come to the end. But I know the experience is not over, the research is continuing, and the exemplary women of the USA are continuing. It is fantastic.

Thanks for joining my journey. Can't wait to see what I can drum up next!

As I come to the end of this project, I am reflecting on so many things I have learned, shared and built upon. Two years ago I was inspired by a novel to look around me at the people of our country, recognizing the achievements, passions, and struggles that women from around the country have dealt with throughout our history. The country we are today would not be the same without the women that worked hard, often without reward or recognition. They stood up for the people, using their natural abilities to be stronger than those around them. Some notable women didn’t act the way I would have hoped or in a way I agreed with. But they acted. They didn’t step aside. They didn’t wait for someone else to take the torch. 

Starting with Michelle Obama of Illinois and ending with Carmen Yulin Cruz of Puerto Rico, I highlighted 52 women of our country. In my research, there are

• 1 Astronaut
• 12 Politicians
• 4 Queens 
• (two literal, two figurative)
• 5 Scientists
• 3 Artists
• 7 Musicians
• 9 Actresses
• 4 Authors
• 10 Activists and
• 17 BIPOC women.

I picked the women fairly randomly. The only “rule” was they had to be born in the state they represented. Finding a woman with a story I could research was more of a challenge in some states than I thought it would be. There are many other women not highlighted that I learned about narrowing down the list. My favorite became an extra story for New Mexico. My mom told me about the Walk of the Navajo, and I was seriously saddened to not find any records of a woman that walked it or saved someone during it. The stories were very closed. But finding Susan Hudson, a Navajo artist that made storytelling quilts spoke so much to me. Unfortunately, she was born in Los Angeles, not New Mexico. But the more I learned about her tribe and their traditions, I had to find a way to incorporate her history and art of quilting in an extra story. That post was the most memorable to me. 

I recall at week 32 sitting back in amazement that I had both maintained the blog every week and reflected on how much I had learned. ... And was going to double that! I still had so much opportunity. I was confident I could complete this project, and that it would remain a part of me for a long time. I felt accomplished and dedicated. As the Covid-19 pandemic grew, I had this project as a foundation that continued through. I had more to explore than ever, and the momentum of the blog was essential.

I learned I don’t have to be a fighter for women to be a woman fighter. The women around me have strong voices, diverse backgrounds, insane intelligence, and an unending fire that will always make change happen. I just have to stand up and say I am one of them. I 

When #MeToo movement from exploded into popular culture in 2017, it opened the door for women to tell their story, reminding women that it is not OK to have these experiences. I didn’t know how to respond to this conversation. Through this blog, I did have the opportunity to dig into some stories and the resilience of women was inspiring. Now we are in the midst of another movement, Black Lives Matter, that is equally pushing me to open my eyes to the way people have been treated. I am ready to listen and learn of these incidents so I can stop perpetuating them in the way I act or respond to people. My awareness will ripple to others.  

All the women of my blog, whether I agreed with their work or not, are taking the initiative to do everything they can to be strong for our people. Women are amazing. They just don’t take no for an answer. I am empowered by all the stories I see. I am turning to my friends and family to see all the amazing feats “normal” women do every day. I would love to say thank you to them all. Too many to list, they showed me how life gave them struggles, loss, or pain, and they stood back up to carry the load of others. They share their joys and energy with me unconditionally. They share their heart and soul openly and allow the emotions to be shared. The more women see each other’s experiences, the stronger we grow together. 

Thank you.