Earlier today, I watched the inauguration. I've watched so many of them, even when my pick doesn't win. I was working today - typing away on one laptop and streaming the coverage on the other.
I stopped for a few moments when Kamala Harris took the oath of office. I watched and listened closely, soaking it in. Her smile made me smile, she was beaming. I mean, why wouldn't she be? The first female vice president.
I've talked about this here and there with our girls. Hoping to get them to understand the significance of this to them.
When Biden announced his pick, I started to consider the possibility of a female VP and the impact that could have. I grew up in a house where we were encouraged to dream - about college, a career, a future. I was the proverbial "daddy's girl", there are a ton of pictures of me wearing his tool belt and hard hat. He taught me how to use tools, how to wax my car, and the importance of checking your oil. He taught me how to drive, a standard to boot! He also taught me to back up the ambulance using only the side mirrors - BLESS HIM!
My parents made me believe - with their words and by their example - that with hard work I could be anything, anything, I wanted to be.
My grandmother, my Mom's mother, retired as a Branch Manager of a bank in 1978. Women didn't generally have titles like that in the day. I can remember hearing the stories of her closing the bank, going home to prepare dinner, clean up and then returning to the bank later that night to finish writing a mortgage.
My parents met at the firehouse in the late 1960's. When ambulances were made by Cadillac and all you needed was a basic first aid card. She randomly stopped at a car accident where the female victim had glass in her eyes and was distraught, she comforted her while they waited for help to arrive. The techs on the ambulance asked her if she would ride with them to the hospital since she had connected with their patient. That led to an invitation to join. The ironic part - she wasn't allowed in the building!!! When she arrived for a call, she had to wait outside, until a man arrived to pull the ambulance out of the building. When my dad was laid off, her salary supported our family. When the town's babysitting course instructor stopped teaching, she convinced her friend to take the instructor course with her and they ran the class several times.
My sister is badass. She is not afraid to speak her mind or call people out when she sees wrong. She has worked in operating rooms, vet offices, and assisted doctors with in office procedures - without breaking a sweat. She has rallied Team Heather on more than one occasion. You should ask her about the traveler's check showdown in a store on a family vacation one year. Honestly, she was spot on and the store policy made no sense.
My girls are lucky to have lots of examples of strong women around them, but I think about all the little girls who don't. I think about all the women who don't have men like Paul and my dad on their side - encouraging, supporting and challenging us to stay the course.
Today, maybe those girls saw Kamala Harris with her husband by her side, sworn in as the Vice President of the United States. Maybe they felt like that could be them one day. For me, that's worth celebrating.
