Thank you to the women behind the curtain...

So I saw several FB posts the past few days on Mo'Ne Davis, the first female to throw a shut-out baseball game in the Little League World Series.  At first I was elated, another first for women everywhere!  But the more I pondered this story, the more I became disenchanted and then downright disappointed.  Why do we only seem to publicly laud when women match men’s achievements in men's fields?  Why is there so little celebration of being amazing just because these women are AMAZING?  

Case in point, it wasn't until recently that I discovered that soccer legend Mia Hamm held the record for international goals, more than ANY other player.  She lost the record in 2013, when another woman, fellow American Abby Wambach scored her 159th goal to break the record. Thats both incredible and incredibly inspiring!

Even more than these feats of athletic prowess, I find I am in awe of the every day woman that lives among us. She is your mother, your sister, your daughter, your friend. She is the woman who toiled behind her man all her life, and through her steadfastness and strength enabled her man to become a legend. She is the woman who walks 2 miles every day to the well to get her family's daily ration of water. She is the single mom of three, holding down two minimum wage jobs and putting away a dollar each day so that her kids can have a better life. She is the woman who stepped out of her career to be a stay-at-home mother because even though society says this adds no value, she knew differently. She is the woman who strives for the top of the career field so that she can shape it into the work force she wants to work in, so that one day her daughter can go to work knowing she will not have to choose between family and career in order to be "successful".  

This woman gets up every day, and goes to her job with no anticipation of thanks, no expectation of a front page cover story, no desire to be recognized in any way. She is the woman behind the curtain, the woman that helped shape you into the person you are today.  

She isn't asking for recognition, but she deserves it, each and every day.

Thank you Mom.
Thank you Candy.
Thank you Erin.
Thank you Katie.
Thank you Erica.
Thank you Bella.

Thank you for getting me through this past year, you are the women behind my curtain. You keep me going EVERY day.