Director’s Blog: March 2022

Women.  I really think I could stop at that very small punctuation mark.  But doing so will not tell the story of those we salute in observance of Women’s History Month in March.  We celebrate all women.

Women are the arbiters of so much throughout every generation.   We are among those who are often the first to laugh through tears; dance through pain; find the good side of bad; work for the common good; forgive but not forget; forge ahead when others hold back; try, not afraid of failing; walk; run; fall and get up; look up instead of looking down; look forward instead of looking back; rush in with haste instead of waiting to be told to move; dare, even when not dared; are sometimes broken but not defeated; tired, but not worn; speechless, but not really silent; away, but never really gone; make a mark, if not an impression;  may not speak loudly but utter a whisper; hold tight, but willing to change; may sit in grass, but feel the dirt; may shiver from the cold, but can warm hearts.  That’s what we women can do. 

And so, sometimes with fierce tenacity; or at other times, with swift resolve, women tread on.  Some may tread lightly.  But some may go boldly and not so gently, steeling themselves for what is on the other side of any given closed door, or around any open door. 

Come into your favorite library this month and read about women.  Pick a few names in the biography section.  Go to other non-fiction sections and into fiction, and select a title by and/or for women. Understand that women are a historical fact; with huge contributions throughout the nation and the world.  See the women in your life reflected in the age old stories; and in this brave new world.  From pre-historic women; to pioneer women; to oppressed and enslaved women; to the suffragists; to the industrialized women; to those who are becoming women; and to those who dare enter and sustain this technological age, there is much to read and to learn about them.    

Take time and gather a few of those, of all ages, who identify as females, and take a photo.  It may be interesting to follow them for a while and see how close each of them come to bearing the plight, the stories, and the triumphs that you find in the library books.  Expand your mind. 

-Gayle