Big Girl

It's a "Big Girl" thing, says oldest daughter Stephanie when she has to Woman Up and face many of life's harder days. When you are lucky enough to be part of a team, those challenges are faced together and somehow that makes it easier.

All my life I've faced "Big Girl" days. We married young, moved 1500 miles away from family and faced the worst...our daughter needed very serious surgery at 3 years old. I've often said you can cope with everything life dishes out, except illness. That puts you down, knocks the wind out of you. You don't see it coming, it blindsides you. When that happened we leaned on each other, but for the first time in my life, I had to stand on my own. Big girl days were harder than riding in the passenger seat.

It was the 1970's and the Women's Movement was out there, encouraging us to grow and be strong. Not that women were ever anything but strong. Look at our Grandmothers to see the definition of strong. Long days and a lifetime of hardships that would have put any man in the grave at an early age! But they faced it with grace and courage, AND a smile on their face!

Looking back, my "Big Girl" days have always been periods of growth in my life. Times when I realized I could take care of myself or our kids or even business affairs. It didn't come overnight but the important thing is that it did happen. I know whatever life throws me, I'll be ok.

But let me say, I sure hope I've got my husband and my family there for the

Bumps in the Road or the Top of the Mountain!