Hi {ContactFirstName},
I'm a little late on my June e-News, but better late than never. Excuses, I've got a ton of them but the fact is I crammed in too much and waited till the last minute. Thus the dilemma that comes along with a summer packed full of things to do and family to see!
Last night I watched an amazing movie starring Hilary Swank. It was an HBO film so many of you might not have heard about it. Before I tell you anything about it maybe I can stir your curiosity by asking a few questions.
1. Who had the right to vote first, African American men or women?
2. What year was slavery abolished?
3. When were women given the right to vote?
If you can answer any of them you're doing better than me. I was amazed to find some of these questions being answered in the movie "Iron Jawed Angels". Not to mention the sacrifices many women made and the atrocities they endured to have a voice in our government.
I knew some about the Seneca Falls Convention that took place in July 1848 and the part that Elizabeth Cady Stanton played. But never knew or ever thought much about how women were "allowed" the right to vote and the sacrifices that came from fighting a male dominated society.
You might enjoy the movie. Share it with your daughters and sons and have a lively conversation about our rights and how they came to be.
Dying to know the answers to the questions above?
1. African American men were given the right to vote with the 15th Amendment to the Constitution in February 1869. It wasn't enforced however, until 1965 with the Voting Rights Act.
2. Slavery was abolished with the 13th Amendment in December 1865.
3. Women had the right to vote with the passing of the 19th Amendment in August 1920.
How slow our country is to change but how wonderful to have courageous men & women who stand up for the rights of people. Take the time to notice and to give thanks for those who came before us to allow us the privileges we enjoy today!
You can learn more about the courageous women of our time at National Women's History Museum.
We, as women, have had the right to vote for 89 years this August. Don't forget to exercise that right and honor those women by using it!
Slavery has been abolished for 144 years, yet there is much to do to eliminate racism and treat each person as human.
Change sure takes a long time! Keep these things in mind when you are working to make some life changes, or looking at our economic situation in the country, or helping your parents as they transition into the later years of their life, or when you hear yourself saying "why can't they (or I) just change _____(fill in the blank)." Many of us are challenged by the way we are wired. Our minds greatly affect our behaviors.... be gentle on yourself and others when change is involved. And last but surely not least... give thanks for all the wonderful things we have in America and to those who came before us.
Wishing you all that is good in life!
Sue E. Thomas
My Journey to Feminine Healing...
In my May 19th posting “Re-Claiming my Feminine side” I talked about my journey in discovering that through a divorce years ago I had pushed my feminine side deeper within to a near non-existent state. At that time I felt that I had reclaimed a part of me that had been on a long vacation and it did feel that way on that day.
Read the rest of the story »
Feminine healing continues...
As I continue my journey to heal the wounded feminine side of myself, my rattle making took on new meaning.
In working with my feminine rattle head, the stitching done first was loose and incomplete. I needed to make the stitching closer together in order to hold the items that would make the beautiful sound of the rattle. Read the rest of the story »
Life Happens...
Its summer time which means lots of exciting things to do and family gatherings. For us, we started the summer off with bringing our grandson’s to visit from Florida.
While we had a wonder-filled time with the kids, it started out a little rough. Driving the boys back from Florida to Ohio was amazingly simple. Portable DVD players are amazing. They watched 7 movies on the way to our place and were wonderfully well behaved sitting in the car for 13 1/2 hours one day and 9 the next. Read the rest of the story »