I was raised in the fly over zone. Up along hi-way 2 in North-Central Montana. There were wheat fields as far as the eye could see.
Against one skyline lay the Bear Paw Mountains. In the other direction; one could behold the Sweet Grass Hills stretching away into the misty distance.
It was incredibly beautiful and desolate all at once.
I found myself desperately searching for suitable female role models in this masculine-dominated society when I was young.
I found strong, broad-minded thinkers like my Aunt Shelly and other farm wives. These crafty ladies taught me in Sunday school to think outside the box. They taught me how to have faith in my Lord and myself.
There were my female teachers in grammar school. These ladies taught me to read, opening my young mind up to new and diverse ideas.
I remember Mrs. Makela instilled in us pride in being Americans when we were just third graders.
I watched the women engage in heavy lifting as they worked right alongside the men to build our community.
The way I was raised; it didn’t matter what your gender was, you were expected to do the same work as your neighbor.
As a result; I grew up never thinking of myself as inferior to any man.
There were other specific women who had huge impacts on my mental/emotional development as well.
Women such as Elizabeth. She came into our community from somewhere far away.
Elizabeth became our town’s first female mayor.
She also wrote for The Havre Daily News.
I was thrilled when Elizabeth asked me to watch her young son because she was so busy. It was inspiring to work for such a strong, independent woman.
From the ladies at church, I also learned compassion and how to be a community organizer.
From Putsi I learned to move my body to music when she volunteered to teach drill team to the girls at school.
I learned so much from so many amazing women over the years; so many I could never name them all here. There is a piece of each of them in all my successes in life.
And then there was my mother. My mother taught me to be a survivor. She taught me to fight for what I believe in; no matter how impossible it looks from someone else’s perspective.
With all these amazing role models; is it any wonder I’ve become The Measuring Life? They each taught me in their own ways to live life to the fullest. I want to take this opportunity to thank them and all the other women who have helped me become who I am today.
– The Measuring Life