By Rosie Moore

It is a well-known fact that women have been protesting and marching since time began. Think of Susan B. Anthony, a pioneer crusader for women’s voting rights; Harriett Tubman, a former slave who escaped then made 13 missions to rescue other enslaved people, and, finally, Rosa Parks, who said,”I’m not moving” from the front of the bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Just three examples from among the thousands of women who weren’t afraid to fight and change the world.

My favorite woman in the Bible is Esther. King Ahasurus  was somewhat a male chauvinistic person but his first wife wasn’t afraid of him and refused to obey him.

What did he do? He got rid of her. A number of virgins were presented to Ahasurus but he picked Esther as the next queen, a Jewess who was afraid of no one. She knew, she knew in her heart, that she was his favorite, for wasn’t she the one that was called before his presence more often than any of the other wives? When her people were being ostracized by the king she immediately faced  him and told him to save her people, even though she knew that he could have sent her away.

There is another woman whom I herald as a forthright, brave character who raised her family with firm but loving care. We must never forget Barbara Bush, who passed away recently. She is known as saying, “Read to your children. Hug your children and love your children. Your success as a family, our success as a society, depends not on what happens in the White House, but what happens inside your house.” Truer words have never been spoken.

The women of the 17th and 18th centuries also should be remembered for what they endured leaving their homes and living on the Conestoga wagons, following their men out West and enduring the threat of snakes, Indians and dust bowls. Making homes in a new land far, from their own family.

The lives of women today are so dramatically different from the lives of our grandmothers and great-grandmothers of the past. Many of them are raising their children without help from the fathers who  ran from their responsibilities. They have to play the part of taking the father’s place, being the breadwinner, being the nursemaid, being the judge in children’s squabbles, the list could go on and on. Women have broken many frontiers in many areas of life due to their courage, hard work and strong faith. That is why I dedicate this article to women everywhere, especially mothers. They all deserve a HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!

Thought for the day: Real courage is when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway.     Harper Lee

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