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Accepting Life

Mrs. M. was born in 1912, making her 88 years old. Born and raised in Canada, from German and French descent, she graduated four years of high school and went on to one year of teacher's school. She became a teacher for several years with an annual income of $700. She taught in a school with eight grades being taught in the same room. Then she went to nursing school for three years and became a nurse.

She then married during World War II at the age of 30, her husband being 32. She had six children including a daughter of whom was killed at the age of 18 in a car accident. She is now widowed and resides at Rossmore of Walnut Creek. She is a vibrant, independent survivor of the Depression. Mrs. M. believes she is an "adventurous soul" because of her experiences she faced in her life.

Throughout her life Mrs. M. didn't experience much discrimination against women everyday life. To her, women held their place in the community. Women worked hard and accepted what they had to do to be respected. Women didn't talk about being liberated, and were not allowed to work outside the home. She did say that women were a respected element in their society because they stayed home and took care of the household while the men worked. Some interesting facts that she shared with us were that she thought of women fighting for equality with men is considered as an evolution. She told us how women only served in public health fields, and men in the higher, more respected job fields. As a teacher, she would have to teach her students English because most of them spoke French, and there were one-room schools with eight grades in the one room trying to be taught.

The area in which Mrs. M. grew up wasn't exposed to the "colored race" normally. She explained how it was expected for African Americans to work only in the fields for other people, and not in the cities. She was shielded from the outside world including hatred, discrimination, negativity, and from society. Mrs. M. explained that in people's spare time, it was rare to go to the movies. She also said that it would cost as little as five cents for a loaf of bread, and there was always enough food on the table to eat.

We thought Mrs. M. was a very energetic, happy and optimistic woman. She had a great sense of humor and loved sharing with us the happy memories she experienced. She seemed to love life for what it was, and she loved her family immensely. She accepted how life was without any regrets. We enjoyed hearing her stories about how she enjoyed being a nurse and helping others. Not just because it was expected for women to be nurses, but because that's what she knew she wanted to do with her life. She is a strong-willed woman and a great example to future women. We're sure her bright smile and warm heart will continue to shine on others lives for years to come.