Today is International Women’s Day. According to some internet searching this annual celebration on March 8th goes back to 1908 and the struggle for women to get shorter work hours, better pay and the right to vote. I am grateful that I have the right to vote. I do believe women were made for more than protests encouraging women not to show up for work on March 8th to highlight the IWD movement. I believe women were made for more by the character developed versus the job they do. I would like to take this day to highlight a few women that have shown me in a variety of ways what it means to be a woman that is made for more.
Barbara Dukat Wieczorek
Barbara was born in 1938 as a twin and the youngest of
five. Barbara would grow up a city girl
with summers spent on a ranch in Valentine.
She met a tall, handsome man, that she would marry and raise six
children with. Barb, as she was known by
friends and family, moved with her husband to Washington State while he
finished his military service. She became
pregnant with her first child and about half way through the pregnancy received
word that her mother had died suddenly.
The couple borrowed money to get back to Nebraska for the funeral. It would only be several years later when her
father would die suddenly, too. Barb would continue to experience more grief as she lost each sibling one by one and then most recently her husband. I am amazed at the amount of sorrow she has endured and recently learned her birthday is also the feast day of Our Lady of Sorrows. Aside from the difficult times Barb also encouraged her children to get involved in Brownies,
Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts and 4-H. Barb
taught religious education and sold toys for Brandeis to the delight of her
children who liked to see what other kids were getting for Christmas. Birthdays were special days in the family
and each child was blessed with a decorated cake decorated by Barb. Barb was also known for her fried chicken and
sewing skills. One Christmas she made
her daughters numerous Barbie outfits during the night hours so the girls would
not see what she was making. Barb
nourished her family first with the gift of life and second in countless ways
of showing how much she cared for each one of them. Barb is known for making sure you are fed well when visiting! Barb is my mom and I am so very grateful
that she chose life for me and my five younger siblings as well as modeling her virtue of generosity.
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| Mom holding my brother, Dave, as I sit on the floor in front of her-1961 |
Kathleen Dukat
Kathleen, also known as Aunt Kathy, was a very dear aunt
to numerous nieces and nephews. Aunt
Kathy loved to bring gifts, bake lots of food and spend time with extended
family. Aunt Kathy and her long time
boyfriend, Gene, took me to see Mary Poppins in the theater when I was about
six years old. Aunt Kathy hosted numerous family gatherings including a Christmas party where I remember many of the girls receiving a
Mary Poppins doll and each child received a special bank that had a $1.00 bill
in it! Aunt Kathy was the first person
to hear about my encounter with Steve at a wedding dance in Snyder. Aunt Kathy nourished family and friends with
her laughter, her love and her ability to make you feel welcome. I am very grateful to have had an aunt as
precious as my Aunt Kathy.
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| Aunt Kathy is surrounded by my siblings and I-late 1960's. |
Juanita Nozicka
Juanita, also known as Aunt Juanita, remains a very dear
aunt and friend of mine. Juanita was
married to my dad’s youngest brother, Melvin.
Juanita has a voice that oozes kindness and love. When I was going through some rebellious
teenage years Juanita was there to give me her comforting smile and a place to
be loved. When my uncle was diagnosed
with cancer our families went through a difficult time. Juanita has continued to be a close friend for my mom and our family with her soft, warm, kind and loving voice. I am very grateful to have Aunt Juanita as an
example of accepting each person as they are with great love.
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| Juanita and her husband, Paul, sharing an Easter with us. |
Bernardine Ruskamp
Bernardine, also known as mom to my husband, is the
oldest of eight children and the mother of ten children. I met Bernardine on my first visit to see
Steve when I followed up on his invitation to come out to the farm to ride his
amazing horse. I found Bernardine to
incredibly gifted at sewing, baking, gardening and listening. Bernardine has always been very good at
paying attention to details which makes one very good at making quilts, baking
bread, canning tomatoes and building life-long friendships. Bernardine also loved reading to our children
when they were young and making them special pajamas and pillow cases to match
their interests. Bernardine has been an
incredible mentor of loving each and every life God gives you. Bernardine has nourished family and friends
with her numerous apple pies and loaves of homemade bread as well as countless
baby quilts made for Project Linus. I
have been blessed to have a mother-in-law I can look up to and admire.
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| Bernardine and Francis at Emily's wedding in 2014. |
My Sisters
Linda, Sharon and Sandy are my sisters. I have fond memories of playing Barbies, building
snow tunnels and going roller skating when we were kids.
As we grew we each found our own gifts and talents, married, faced
different struggles and three of us had children. What I admire about my three sisters is the
grit they have maintained through a variety of times of suffering. Each one of them has nourished me through
their witness of the virtues of courage, forgiveness, generosity and kindness. I am
very grateful for my sisters, Linda, Sharon and Sandy and the many ways they
continue to bless me with their friendship.
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| My sisters-Sandy, Sharon, Linda and me in the early 2000's. |
Steve and I have five children that include three
girls. Ginger, Emily and Kim are each
five years apart and spent their childhoods playing in trees near the house,
climbing hay bales in the barn and taking care of 4-H animals. Each of the girls found a love for raising
rabbits after Ginger brought home her first Dutch rabbit. I could write endless stories from the
memories I fondly treasure of each of them as a little girl. What I find myself thinking about more these
days is how incredible each of them are as adults. Ginger and Emily are both amazing mother’s. All three of the girls are dedicated to jobs
that involve teaching. My three daughter’s
nourish me with kind words written in special cards, phone calls at random
times just to talk and the virtues of love and generosity they give to family
and friends. I have been extremely
blessed to have three daughters that love me, encourage me and support me in my
own new adventures.
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| Kim, Ginger, Emily, me and Ella at Emily's wedding. |
My Friends
I have been blessed to have so many incredible people in
my life to call friends. There are my
childhood friends, cousins that became friends, high school and college
friends, friends I met when I moved from one town to another eventually settling
in Dodge and friends I continue to make through volunteer opportunities. I have recently been blessed with an
overwhelming amount of love from many friends since the passing of my father. I do have one friend I would like to mention
because she was also a mentor that taught me a lot about being a woman. Her name is Joyce Kreiekemeier. I met Joyce through church activities. Over several years of time I watched and
learned from Joyce about servant leadership, poise, commitment, dedication and
love. Joyce treated me like an equal
even though she had many years of experience and knowledge beyond mine. Joyce also encouraged by example, taught
through teamwork and lived joyfully from a faith was from deep within her
heart. As I spent time with Joyce I
learned to treasure traits like modesty, integrity, perseverance, respect, acceptance
and forgiveness. I am so grateful to have had Joyce as a mentor
and friend early in my life as a mother to learn the importance of continually
growing in faith.
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| These are some of my friends I have made since becoming a volunteer for CommonGround. |
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| I was made for more! I am more than a farmer, wife, mom, sister, daughter, grandmother, friend...I am a child of God! |
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