Life Happened On My Way To Sainthood
Comments By: Katherine Elizabeth MacIntyre
I have to admit, I am very impressed with the women of my generation. Their accomplishments are long, note worthy and life changing for us all. And I'm not just talking about the women who are in the spotlight like Hilary Clinton (whom I greatly admire), but women in general.
Women, who for whatever reason, were not given the opportunity to graduated from high school, yet managed to work their way up the ladder to a decent paying job. Women who suffered abuse or neglect in their childhoods or marriages, who were able to pull their lives together, to raise their families with strong moral values. These are the women that impress me! I am in awe of their amazing accomplishments. Against impossible odds, these women stayed the course, suffered the hardships and created lives of value and worth.
I came from an abusive, neglectful family. We were not poor, but my parents lacked the ability to manage money, so we were always short on funds. My parents were self centered to boot, so my sibling and I were considered inconveniences in their lives. It was made clear to me, that once I graduated high school, I was out the door. Since I graduated early my senior year (March), luck was on their side.
I had seriously considered becoming a nun, because for all intensive purposes, God saved me as a child. Without the love of God, I would have ended up on drugs, living a horrific life. That plan was derailed, however when in junior high I met a boy and discovered I really liked boys a lot. So the nun idea was quickly replaced with Plan B. Become a famous actress and live in Beverly Hills.
I married young, had a child and discovered that I loved being a stay at home mom. At 27 I went to work full time (out of necessity) and have been working ever since. Along the way I got divorced (at 40 years old) and started my own company. My successes are small, but I am contented and happy with my life. I have found that the key to happiness is acceptance, tolerance and forgiveness. Acceptance that I will never have the lifestyle I've longed for; tolerance of those who greatly irritate me (the list grows longer every year); forgiveness of those who have betrayed and hurt me.
I would never have dreamed at 21, that this would be the life I would be living at 57 years old. But things beyond my control transpired, flushing my life's dreams and goals down the toilet on more then one occasion. Each time I stood back up, dusted off my trousers and started pushing that boulder back up the hill from where I started. Not literally, of course, but that certainly is how it feels. With the recession, there are a lot of us having to revamp our lives and rethink our retirement plans. The older we become, the more difficult it is to start over.
To sum it up, I feel good about the women I call my peers. We are strong, intelligent, ambitious, generous and worthy of any and all praise that may be lavished upon us. With each generation, it becomes easier for women to accomplish great things. Those accomplishments are never easily won, but they are winnable!
To quote Charlie Sheen (poor man, he had a rough year)... "Winning!"
Question: When you think about women you admire, who are they? And has your life turned out the way you planned?
Posted by Plus50Crowd Editor at 11/30/2011 7:47 PM 
Categories: Life
Tags: Living The Life You Are Given
Categories: Life
Tags: Living The Life You Are Given
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