A series of essays.....
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| ~~~VOTES FOR WOMEN *** WOMEN OF THE WORLD UNITE~~~ |
.....as seen through my eyes!
By: Jacqueline E. Hughes
"I wake up every morning in a house that was built by slaves — and I watch my daughters — two beautiful, intelligent, black young women — playing with their dogs on the White House lawn. And because of Hillary Clinton, my daughters — and all our sons and daughters — now take for granted that a woman can be president of the United States."
***Michelle Obama at the 2016 Democratic National Convention
Ruline Steininger: A Passion For Politics
I was born...
...in a home where my Daddy never failed to vote Republican.
At the time I was born, my mother was not eligible to vote in the Presidential elections. That wouldn't happen until August of 1920, with the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution.
I was welcomed into the Steininger household of Pleasant Hill, Iowa, on April 14, 1913. They named me, Ruline. I enjoyed a happy childhood with few complaints. I knew how much I was loved. And, seven years later my baby sister was born. It seemed to me that the year 1920 was just chock-full of surprises.
Now, even though a baby sister has a way of changing your life forever, little did I know at the time that the changing tide in our nation and in Washington D.C. could or would affect my life so greatly. But, it certainly did!
Even when I was quite young, I never failed to keep my eyes and ears opened. Why, as a five-year-old, I can remember running to the front yard to wave goodbye to soldiers or passing troop trains headed for World War I.
My Daddy was, in addition to a staunch Republican, the pastor of our local church. I recall someone ringing our church bells everyday that our young men were fighting for us in this war to end all wars. My Mother always believed it was a good thing to constantly remember these young men and what they were fighting for. I can't recall for certain, but she may have helped to ring the bells herself from time to time.
I remember the day the war finally ended....our bells rang out loud and clear all day long! The boys I had waved goodbye to were coming home to stay.
Of course, none of us knew then that this would not be the last time our young men and women would be heading across the sea to fight for their country. Little did I believe that as a newlywed, my husband would be drafted into the Air Force in 1942. I wouldn't see him again until three and a half years later.
YOUTHFUL RULINE STEININGER
Courtesy: us.hola.com
It's kind of sad that women were so prohibited in their careers back when I attended high school. We only had two options to look at and they were either nursing or teaching. When I graduated high school in 1931, I looked forward to my college career. Sadly, my debts added up quickly and I was forced to drop-out.
These were the years of the Great Depression. Life was difficult for most everyone we knew. But, I was determined to make something of my life and utilize my strengths as an independent woman of my day. After all, I voted for Franklin Delano Roosevelt when I was twenty-three years old and never told my Father about my party of choice.....ever!
I have remained a staunch Democrat since my first presidential election.
I never gave up when it came to my education either. I obtained a degree in art in 1941 and began teaching for the next twenty-four years.
Somewhere along in there I was fortunate to have had my two sons. They both are artists in their own right and I am quite proud of them. I'm even more proud of my three grandchildren in whom I see the bright future of this country.
With 103, yes.....one hundred and three years behind me now, many of them devoted to working long, hard hours for my Democratic Party in one capacity or another, I am witnessing the fruit of my labor: The possibility of having the first woman president in the White House!
RULINE STEININGER TODAY AT AGE 103
Courtesy: www.cnn.com
My dreams were dashed in 2008 when Hillary Clinton conceded defeat to Barack Obama. I was still in my first century of life, however. That century saw world wars, two Great Depressions, man walk on the moon, and the grand teachings of Doctor Martin Luther King.
Now that I am in my second century of life, the most remarkable thing to happen would be to see a woman as president!
My baby sister who is going strong at ninety-six told me she won't vote for Hillary because of her e-mail problems. Wish I could change her mind before November. We'll have to wait and see what happens with that one.
If I were to give any kind of advice about what it takes to live a long life, the wisdom I've accumulated would include: Walk for an hour every day; eat organic food; take the stairs instead of anything else, and stay interested in your community, our government, and world events. My passion has always been politics!
Oh, and vote! I am looking forward to voting for the first female president of the United States this November!
***Facts extracted from Ms. Steininger's interview at IowaAging.gov.
"Believe in something larger than yourself. Get involved in the big ideas of your time."
***Barbara Bush
"The battle for the individual rights of women is one of long standing and none of us should countenance anything which undermines it."
***Eleanor Roosevelt
"Hate is too great a burden to bear. It injures the hater more than it injures the hated."
"Struggle is a never ending process. Freedom is never really won, you earn it and win it in every generation."
Lastly.....
"Women, if the soul of the nation is to be saved, I believe that you must become its soul."
***Three quotes by Coretta Scott King
CORETTA SCOTT KING
Watching the Democratic National Convention these past three nights, many of my own thoughts and beliefs from my past several decades of life ring loud and clear through the words of the men and women gracing that large stage. "Strong women get things done!" is the qualifying theme that resonates the most with me.
Like the intricate weave of a strong basket meant to cradle objects in a lifetime of service, these strong women open up their hearts and show us a profound love for family, home, and country that's greater than anything we could ever imagine.
Strong with undaunted beliefs, women are understanding, caring, loving, and never to be underestimated....women have always been equal!! The women on our political front today prove this daily. As the Broadway performers sang loud and clear last evening: "What the world needs now is Love, Sweet Love.......!" For all and by all...always!
Copyright © 2016 by Jacqueline E. Hughes
All rights reserved
