I will not deny that being female and being a mom gives me super powers. I did deliver a 10 pound baby boy at home! But with all that we do as moms, there still remains a space to fill by all of the dads. Just imagine the possibilities if the ONE moms worked beside the ONE dads raising ONE families! I just happen to be surrounded by many ONE dads whose compassion resonates in their voices to make poverty history. Moms are expected to take action when we see children dying from preventable diseases. We sometimes fail to see that dads are often just as moved to join the conversation.
Truth be told—I would not be a ONE mom if it were not for my husband. He and I grew up together, so he has always known my thoughts of the world. Whenever he read a news piece of interest he would always share it with me. This is how I learned about Live Aid, DATA, Drop the Debt, and ONE. It was September 2005 in Chicago, my birthday and first U2 concert when he pulled me from my crowded place in the merchandise line to meet this ONE volunteer. He said, “This is that organization you were reading about. You need to sign up.” Well I listened, became a member, and have wore the same ONE band ever since. So yes, from this experience a ONE mom was born, but also an incredible ONE dad.
Since becoming a ONE Congressional District Leader I have met the most incredible dads out there meeting with their Members of Congress, writing letters, and making phone calls. As a fellow ONE CDL and ONE dad from Oregon, Craig Rottman spoke so eloquently, “Raising children—parenthood—is one of the most under-appreciated yet important roles a person can accept in life. I like to think that what we do as volunteers for ONE embody things we all would want our children to see and to learn: that doing good work is its own reward and that helping others who need it is a part of living a compassionate life.”
To my husband for supporting me every step of the way on this journey and encouraging me to magnify my voice while adding his to the conversation and to every ONE dad I have met along the way I give buckets of gratitude. The world is lucky to have all of you! By the way, was it not a ONE dad who started this entire movement?
A great article is as much about writing flair as it is about technicalities, but you have it all. It takes a great writer to have flair and and skill.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the kind comment. Every post feels like a grammar lesson. It is not always the content I struggle with, but the technicalities! I appreciate you noticing the effort I put into it.
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