A Proud American Woman
It
was a morning like all other mornings. She awoke, put on her robe, made
breakfast for her husband and children, sent them off to work and school, and
began her day. Maybe she cleaned a little, did some laundry, watched a little
television, talked with her friends, or went out to tend flowers or her garden.
She didn’t have a set schedule every day. After a few hours she fixed her
lunch, ate, and made some cookies for her kids when they arrived home from
school. Today was an easy day, because she knew once her kids arrived home, it
would be chaos of homework and getting dinner ready. There would be no more
down time for the rest of the evening. She had friends that went to work, but
she enjoyed being at home with her children, keeping the house nice, and
providing a loving environment for her family. Did she think about going out to
work? Absolutely! Especially when the kids were fighting, the budget was tight,
or the fridge was without food. Today was one of those days.
The
next day she opened her eyes ready to go out and find a job. She awoke, put on
her robe, made breakfast for her husband and children, and sent them off to
work and school. Instead of cleaning or doing laundry, she got dressed. She put
on make-up, her Sunday best, and some high heels ready to go out to look for
work. This wasn’t easy for her. She loved not having to deal with people on a
daily basis. People were so negative, sensitive, and angry these days. It was a
world she never anticipated, but she couldn’t allow this to stop her. Maybe her
smile, positive, and kind demeanor would make someone’s day better. Plus, she
knew bills would pile up and the cabinets, freezer, and fridge would all be
empty if she didn’t do something. She got in her car with the want ads and
headed out to submit applications, but something stopped her as she closed the
car door. It wasn’t fear or anxiety. It was the feeling that somehow everything
would be okay. She put her head on the steering wheel as she prayed and began
to cry uncontrollably. As she looked in her purse through tear filled eyes for
a tissue, she saw something green in the hole she had in the inner lining of
her purse. It was a twenty dollar bill! Suddenly the tears dried up and she
took a deep breath as she put her seat belt on. Twenty dollars may not be much
to some, but for her it was milk, bread, veggies, and a little meat. She forgot
about all of the retail stores she was going to go to today and headed straight
for the grocery store. She didn’t have a buggy full of groceries like the lady
in front of her or the man behind, but she had enough. That was all she needed
to make two to three dinners until her husband’s next pay check. As she paid
for her groceries, she heard two female cashiers talking about how much day
care is and how they never get to see their kids. She felt a sigh of relief,
that for now, she gets to be home. The kids arrived home that day in a good
mood and she greeted them with a smile on her face. They shared their day with
her, did their homework as they drank the milk she bought, and ate the cookies
she made yesterday.
Yesterday
was a great day she thought, as she awoke, put on her robe, made breakfast for
her husband and children, and sent them off to work and school. She had a
renewed sense of purpose. So she did a couple of loads of laundry to catch up
for missing yesterday, turned on the television for some background noise, and
washed the dishes from breakfast. She was enjoying her peaceful feeling until
one of the juice glasses slipped out of her hand and shattered in her white
cast iron sink. After turning off the water so she could clean up the broken
glass she heard gun fire coming from the television. She rushed into the living
room to see a breaking news broadcast. The reporter was saying, “War is
definite!” She dropped to her knees in shock. The tears began as she prayed not
only for her husband, who was in the Army reserves, but for her country and all
of its leaders. As the day progressed, she stayed glued to the television. The
reports were getting worse. Her wonderful, hardworking husband brought dinner
home that night which was a real treat. He turned off the television so they could
have a special night together as a family. It was a wonderful evening filled
with stories and laughter. After they put the kids to bed they retreated back
to the living room. He turned on the radio and they danced cheek to cheek. The
phone rang before they went to bed that evening.
Five
days later, she awoke, put on her robe, made breakfast for her husband and
children, and sent her children to school, and kissed her husband as he left
for war. This morning was not like the others. She skipped the cleaning,
laundry, and other daily tasks to pray. It wasn’t a prayer with tears like
before. She got down on her knees, clutching her bible tight to her chest and
prayed for her husband, country, and its leaders. She was so proud of her
husband for defending his country, but worried every hour of every day for his
safety. Her children arrived safely at home that evening, but her husband did
not.
The next day, she awoke,
put on her robe, made breakfast for her children, and sent them off of school. She
felt she needed to do more for her country so she went to work at the factory
her husband worked for before the war. She left after the kids went to school
and was home before they got off the bus. After getting home she was exhausted,
but knew dinner had to be made, laundry done, and house cleaned. The kids
helped as much as they could, but they were still young. She wanted them to
have a childhood or as much as they could in wartime. She did what she could to
help defend our country at home.