Honour Mothers
As part of her peace initiatives, Marlene attempts to build a new world view of women. Her website, Honouring Mothers, is an attempt to show value for the many unpaid and undervalued services that many women provide gratuitously, simply because it is the right and moral thing to do. She has experienced substantial hardship in her life because her services were given no value by the people around her, the system that she lived in, despite the many years of providing the most fundamental life-giving, life-saving services 24/7 for decades. Her first (now ex-) husband gloatingly “starved the bitch out” (his words, borrowed and used, he said from a male friend who also divorced his wife when she went to university to improve her education and status in the community). One has a difficult time recouping from the multiple levels of devastation that faces a women left penniless and left feeling completely useless and unvalued. Today, however, she has recouped and is still recouping and is doing so with the help of very few, but very strong and morally-guided individuals. Today, she focuses on what she has, not what she does not have and not on what she has had taken away. When you have yourself and your self pride, and you truly believe in yourself and what you stand for, she has learned that everything else can truly fall away. ”At least I have me.” she says.
Few friends stay through a storm; few friends can be made when you are in one. However, if you are lucky enough to find them at the bleakest points of your life, you know you are left with the grain of life and with the chaff removed. It isn’t what happens to you that shows who you are, it is how you handle what happens to you.
Mothers say they don’t need or want anything, but in their heart they want a festival in their honour.
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My fear is that my daughters would encounter such a disturbing relationship in their lives and I too old to protect them. I have encouraged them to get educated in order to be self sufficient so they don’t have to tolerate such disrespect. I like to think there are mentally tough,respectful,honourable men still out there although my own Father is a weak,abusive individual. I’m glad you survived, I’m proud of you.You are a much better person than your ex.M. Stay strong,
Ty
Thank you for your comments, Ty. I appreciate your focus on educating your daughters. Education IS a powerful tool to prepare them for their future. Education is not enough. While education does help with self esteem and enables a growing network with other “like minds”, all vulnerabilities cannot be prevented. Stuff happens and when it does, having a safe support network is critical—a network that encourages, enables, assists, values and treats all people like a useful member of society. The best way to do this that I know is to teach everyone to offer this type of support by modeling the behaviour and also by praising others when they do: First, ask others, “Is there anything I can do to help you?” Second, listen carefully to their response; thirdly, respond in a supportive and enabling way that you are comfortable with.
Thanks for listening and for responding, Ty. – m