One of Many Inspirational Women........
There are several women in my life who are truly inspirational. Due to time and space constraints, I can only recognize one. Maybe you know her.
She grew up the daughter of an Irish immigrant and second generation German American. On the westside of Chicago she did all the usual girlie stuff including high school, working part-time in a bakery, dreaming of her own family and learning to drive. Back then family members were tasked with training new drivers. One of my favorite stories is when her father took her to an abandoned parking lot for some behind the wheel experience. After an afternoon of practicing her manual transmission attempts her father quietly walked into the house, grabbed an aspirin and went to bed. Today she can drive a manual transmission but has been known to cut off semi trucks on the expressway and make illegal left hand turns. Driving did not come easy but is a metaphor on how she lives.
Her plans after high school were to get married, settle down and have children. She married on May 15 and began a long journey to fulfill her plan. Little did her new husband know that his bride's dowery of a beautiful car had a tendency to breakdown in the busiest intersections of Chicago. He rescued her and the car countless times. As locals they learned a new vocabulary from fellow drives.
After a couple of years, family and friends were asking when she was going to start having children. Most did not know they were having trouble conceiving a child and were researching adoption. She took this idle time and turned it into an undergraduate degree in special education. She was the oldest in her class but had an eye on the big picture, a degree.
Seven long years passed and she was finally pregnant with her first child. They worked hard to raise a family of five. She took meeting minutes at night when it looked like he might lose his job. When the dreaded unemployment check arrived, she started to work part-time. Which eventually lead to a full-time secretary position at the local police department. Good thing for her car's autobody. Several times an officer would walk past her desk and ask about the latest ding in her car. Her honest answer would be backing over the recycle bin, hitting her daughter's new truck or rearranging the aluminum siding on the garage. The objects just seemed to pop out of thin air. Smart police officers gave her car a wide birth in the parking lot.
She wakes up prepared to tackle the day's events. Her to do list would rival any world leader. Her drive is hard work. One of her favorite sayings is turn lemons into lemonade or when God closes one door he opens another. Even as a retiree, she inspires individuals to work hard with a plan in place.
I love you mom.
Who inspires you? Join the Spin Cycle and tell us.
Sharon, the Mayor.
She grew up the daughter of an Irish immigrant and second generation German American. On the westside of Chicago she did all the usual girlie stuff including high school, working part-time in a bakery, dreaming of her own family and learning to drive. Back then family members were tasked with training new drivers. One of my favorite stories is when her father took her to an abandoned parking lot for some behind the wheel experience. After an afternoon of practicing her manual transmission attempts her father quietly walked into the house, grabbed an aspirin and went to bed. Today she can drive a manual transmission but has been known to cut off semi trucks on the expressway and make illegal left hand turns. Driving did not come easy but is a metaphor on how she lives.
Her plans after high school were to get married, settle down and have children. She married on May 15 and began a long journey to fulfill her plan. Little did her new husband know that his bride's dowery of a beautiful car had a tendency to breakdown in the busiest intersections of Chicago. He rescued her and the car countless times. As locals they learned a new vocabulary from fellow drives.
After a couple of years, family and friends were asking when she was going to start having children. Most did not know they were having trouble conceiving a child and were researching adoption. She took this idle time and turned it into an undergraduate degree in special education. She was the oldest in her class but had an eye on the big picture, a degree.
Seven long years passed and she was finally pregnant with her first child. They worked hard to raise a family of five. She took meeting minutes at night when it looked like he might lose his job. When the dreaded unemployment check arrived, she started to work part-time. Which eventually lead to a full-time secretary position at the local police department. Good thing for her car's autobody. Several times an officer would walk past her desk and ask about the latest ding in her car. Her honest answer would be backing over the recycle bin, hitting her daughter's new truck or rearranging the aluminum siding on the garage. The objects just seemed to pop out of thin air. Smart police officers gave her car a wide birth in the parking lot.
She wakes up prepared to tackle the day's events. Her to do list would rival any world leader. Her drive is hard work. One of her favorite sayings is turn lemons into lemonade or when God closes one door he opens another. Even as a retiree, she inspires individuals to work hard with a plan in place.
I love you mom.
Who inspires you? Join the Spin Cycle and tell us.
Sharon, the Mayor.
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