Reach For the Stars -- An Empowerment Move!

As a mother of three teenagers (one of which is a female) and a woman that has had to battle the conservative American views of gender for the majority of my life I can not even begin to express how it warms my heart to have a stamp line that empowers little girls to be who ever they want to be.

I grew up in a Baptist broken home. Ironically, both my parents were conservative, but my Mom really felt that if you were a female you could not do things like math or science. Those were jobs for men she would tell me. I felt more oppressed by females in my life than the males. I never heard my Grandfather, Dad or brother say that I could not do anything. They were more concerned with my heart and mind. It was my Mom that affected my value and belief in myself growing up. The ironic thing is she thought the place for a woman was in the home, yet she kept getting divorced and moving us from one ghetto apartment to the next. It was through her example that I learned the importance of equality.

I moved to Germany when I was 18 because I knew if I stayed where I grew up I would end up in a similar situation. I did earn my BS and M Ed once I got back stateside. It was hard because deep down inside I truly felt like I was a second class citizen because I was a woman. I let that navigate relationships. When I was 32 my life fell apart. I had a wake up call and it was through that hard time that I learned and finally believed that I am just as smart, skillful and wise as anyone else --male or female. I picked myself up along with my family and turned a very bad situation into a good one that benefited us and others.

 I don't like to talk about it because it is in the past and it sheds a negative light on people that have value in my life.  However, my children experienced some of it with me. They were watching and had hands on experience with working hard. Through it they learned that they are strong capable individuals with gifts and talents. My daughter I think was impacted the most. She witnessed me, her mother, go from a meek scared second class citizen (I was actually beneath the family pet it felt like) to a strong silent resourceful provider that can use anything as an opportunity to grow. I found my voice and through that self discovery I gave her a voice too. My daughter does not struggle with self worth or confidence issues. She knows she is smart and capable. She likes to work on the sets for the school productions with power tools. She thinks the detective in "Mrs. Congeniality" is awesome! She dreams of being a law enforcement officer and welder on the side. She also had the opportunity to attend the Mixed Media Convention with me and met Christopher -- the owner of Brutus Monroe and designer of this stamp line. She adores him. She loves that he is all about equality and helps other. He is kind and cares about issues that impact her -- views on girls. I know this is lengthy and I am rambling on, but I wanted to share a piece of my heart and why I am so passionate about companies and people that help others and empower them to be whom ever they want to be.

Here is another little secret: I wanted to be an astronaut when I grew up. My Dad worked for a division associated with NASA. My dream was to travel out of this world in a rocket my Dad helped build. This card is everything to me.

Please check out Brutus Monroe to see more of this line and upcoming releases.

Until next time ~ Happy Crafting!