Have you been her?

The woman at the table with something to say who speaks her mind as everyone else just looks on. Annoyed. Wondering when you’ll stop talking. Hiding their amused looks that say, “Huh. How cute! But really…who does she think she is?” Giving you a few seconds before turning back to the matter at hand. Brushing you off. Or blatantly shushing.

Have you been her?

The woman with big feelings. Big opinions. Big ideas. The one with tears in her eyes trying to be heard. Trying to stand up. Trying to make a difference in this world.

Only to be told…

“No. Not you. Be quiet, honey. You’re just a housewife or you’re only ‘part time’ or you’re not ‘in charge’ around here. Plus, that’s not very ladylike. What would your father think? What would your husband say? I know you care, but your voice doesn’t matter. Not really. Just take your messy bun and your yoga pants and hop back into your SUV with the heated seats and go back to what you know. After all, you CHOSE that. Remember? You can’t possibly understand anything else. Just stop talking and stick with what you know.”

Have you been her?

Well, listen.

There’s an election going on, and guess whose votes are going to change the outcome? Guess which ‘group’ is making the old men sweat bullets?

That’s right. It’s you and me, girl.

The Suburban Housewives.

As if they know what that means. As if they’ve got us pinned down. As if they know who we REALLY are. They don’t have a clue. One label can’t begin to do us justice, because we don’t fit into a nice and tidy box!

We’re married. Or single. By choice…or by life.

We’re working full time or working part time or working our butts off at home.

We’re white or black or brown…and breathtakingly beautiful.

We’re college educated or specialty trained or finishing up night school or well-versed in the School of Life.

We’re teachers or doctors or accountants or yoga instructors or speech pathologists or secretaries or scientists.

We pushed out babies or adopted babies or we’re fostering babies or helping raise our sister’s babies or perhaps our arms ache for the baby we lost or always longed for. Or maybe we have our fur babies to tend to or we’ve chosen a life without kids or pets at all.

We’re Catholic or Lutheran or Protestant or Episcopalian or non-denominational or atheist or certain we don’t need to choose!

We sing or dance or rock climb or garden or paint or write or bake or crochet or build things or trail run.

Turns out, we’re pretty tough to categorize.

Whoever we are, we’re getting it DONE during the day as we help and serve and grow and love. Then staying up way too late to chase our own dreams long after dark.

We know pain. And loss. Disappointment. And sadness. We’ve struggled through divorce or abuse or infidelity or miscarriage or loss of a loved one or foreclosure or addiction or loss of a job or even a whole life.

We’ve failed and fought and struggled and strived and started over. Again and again.

And we care. Deeply. About babies and education and families and homelessness and healthcare and the economy and our planet and marginalized people and truth.

And ALL of it put together makes us strong. Resilient. Intelligent. And important.

Our voices MATTER!

You’ve been her. And now HERE YOU ARE.

Will you make your voice heard? Will you throw your shoulders back and march in there with all your big ideas and all your important opinions and everything you know…

And cast your vote???

You don’t have to worry about what your husband thinks. Or what your boss was bellowing about last week. Or even what your preacher said about it on Sunday.

It’s all YOU.

YOUR voice. YOUR opinion. YOUR decision.

You’ve got an equal seat at the table, girl. And not a single person is looking on, amused.

NO SHUSHING.

Our country is waiting. The world is watching.

All you have to do is show up. Cast your vote. Raise your voice. And be heard.

It’s all YOU.