She/Her

I met her on July 2nd.

She seemed relieved, elated, and a little exhausted.

I wanted to be able to ask her why, but our eyes locked and there was an internal knowing as she smiled at me.

From that moment on, I would come to understand what it meant to be gracefully resilient.

A careful observer, I watched her be a champion for those who were unwanted, who remained on the fringe and often overlooked by society.

At times I grew jealous of the attention these outliers received. It would take some time and wisdom to know that love isn’t diminished if it’s shared, it grows.

No one is more deserving of honor on this first day of Women’s History Month than her.

She is my mother.

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I fully acknowledge how blessed I am to know and be raised by a mother who embodies resilient grace and boundless love for me and those she welcomes under her arms.

With the many female superstars who will get recognition in the month of March, I’d love to point us back to the one who first encouraged us to know what it means to be a woman. The ones who hold the title of Mother!

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If there is someone who could have handled the pandemic of 2020 and kept moving right along, it is my mom.

As a kid, I witnessed her being both a full-time stay-at-home mom and working as the Office Manager in support of my dad’s practice. She even modeled hybrid work for me by working from home during our little years and going into the office when we were in school full-time. Before having children she was an English Teacher. So yes, my mom would have rocked 2020 with working and remote learning!

Other than raising me and my siblings, my mom would tell you her greatest career achievement was being the Director at Birthright International, a non-profit that provides love and support to women facing unplanned pregnancies.

Some of the women she was able to help now call her “Momma.” I love that.

And my mom would have it no other way.

She’s known for being a mom to ones who didn’t have one or a poor example of one.

So as we launch into a month honoring women, let’s give special tribute to mothers who stayed on the job.

• To the stay-at-home moms who learned to homeschool in the pandemic.
• To the moms who continued in their work roles while kids were remote learning.
• To the mothers who know the definition of work as never having a day off from “the job” of raising kids.
• To the mother who never gets praised for doing “her job.”

You are seen.

You are needed.

You are loved. 

Happy Women’s History Month!

Mom & Me - Selfie shot and all smiles as we head into the theater to see the Downton Abbey movie in 2019. Love you, Mom!

Article originally published on the blog for RP4C.com Follow Michelle Rademacher and the RP4C Company Page for career coaching advice.