I “met” Chris Smith, from Piecing A Life online several years ago. We were both full time RV’ers and had a lot of the same interests. Two years ago we met in person, when she was workcamping in Kanab, Utah.Thanks, Chris, for helping me celebrate my sixtieth birthday!

Congratulations on your upcoming 60^th birthday! And thank you for the invitation to look back a little on my own life.

For me, 1978 through the middle 1980s, when I was in my 30s, was probably the most fascinating and life-changing period of my life. I’d been married since 1968. My husband worked two jobs at night and attended nursing school during the day. I was completing work on my degree in Business Administration from Portland State University in Oregon, working as a part-time secretary for an oil spill cooperative, taking care of our first house, and raising two young daughters. I read The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan for the first time. And I became a political activist.

No, reading that book didn’t make me an activist, although it was very instrumental in that. For quite a few years I had been developing a sense that women were not supposed to be second-class workers, paid $.59 for each $1.00 that men were paid for similar work. We should not have been still fighting for access to legal, safe abortions even though Roe vs. Wade had become law in 1973. As a high school student, I had friends who left school when they became pregnant because they had no access to the pill or other forms of contraception. And abortion was still illegal. I had a scare myself.

Friedan’s book helped me realize that I was not alone with my thoughts and feelings. I promptly became an active member the National Organization for Women (NOW) as well as the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL), now called NARAL Pro-Choice America. I paid $300 for a round-trip ticket from Portland, Oregon to Washington D.C. as a delegate to NOW’s annual conference. I demonstrated with thousands of other green t-shirt-wearing men and women in front of the Lincoln Memorial for the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). I attended Senate and House open meetings. I visited the office of Senator Bob Packwood. And I sat in on public meetings for abortion rights. I learned the subway system in the Capitol as well as discovered the best and least expensive cafeterias. I loved their Senate Bean Soup.

Fabgrandpa, me, Chris, Marcie & Jim Cumberland in Kanab, Utah

When I returned to Portland, there was no way I was going to let all that heady experience die. When I graduated from PSU in December 1980, I began working as Credit Manager for Willamette Week, an excellent alternative weekly newspaper. I volunteered in the NARAL booth each weekend at the Portland Saturday Market, answering questions and providing information about that organization. With my family, I participated in marches for passage of the Equal Rights Amendment. I wrote letters to the editor of our local paper, and some of them were published.

I loved that time, perhaps even a little more than my political activist time right now. Granted, information on the internet, email and social media such as Facebook make it much easier to connect with vast numbers of people on all sides of the political spectrum. But, at age 65 I still feel a need for the more face-to-face interactions I experienced in my 30s. I am still a very politically liberal person with many of the same beliefs I had when I was younger. An MA in theology and ministry just honed those beliefs more and helped me see a more multi-faceted view of reality. Although I am no longer personally affected by the contraception and abortion issues, my daughters, granddaughters, and their friends are. I feel much sadness and anger with the anti-abortion movement of today. I continue to be active in causes such as immigration, women’s rights, health care, gay and lesbian rights, the homeless, and the economy. I participate in anti-war marches as well as demonstrate with the Occupy movement. I make my beliefs known by posting on Facebook (I’m probably kind of a pest at times). I read extensively, all kinds of articles and books. I blog about my beliefs, thoughts, and experiences on Piecing A Life.com.

For me it is all about fairness, about the needs of people, ALL people, not just those of a particular religious or political persuasion. And I like to think my actions are making a difference in people’s lives, no matter how small that difference might be.

Thank you again, Karen, for this opportunity.

Chris Smith

One month from today, on May 24th, I will turn 60 years old.  I am not normally someone who makes a big deal out of my birthday, but I’m having some difficulty acknowledging the fact that I will be SIXTY this year.  So, in order to ease into my new decade, I have asked some of my friends to help me. I asked them to write a short essay, talking about what “age” was their favorite age and why.  I asked them: What did you accomplish that year? What were your dreams? Did you go somewhere on a trip that left a lasting impression? Did you meet your true love? Did you learn something about yourself that you needed to know?  Several of them responded, and I will be posting their stories throughout the next month. Here is the first one, written by Rachel, of Yellow Tennessee:

Rachel from Yellow Tennessee

I have spent the entire weekend racking my brain trying to figure out what my favorite age has been.  Like everyone, I have had some amazing experiences in my life that I will never forget.  I have also had some horrible experiences in my life that I will never forget.

When I was 14 years old I moved with my family from St Louis to South Africa.  I spent 2 years there.  I met some amazing people, some of who I am still friends with to this day. Of course being a 14 year old girl, if you had asked me then, moving to South Africa was the worst thing that had ever happened to me.

Although I didn’t know it at the time, when I was 19 years old, I met the man I was going to marry.  He became my best friend in the whole world.  We shared some equally amazing times and some not so amazing times in our friendship.

I used to think that 20 was my favorite age.  It was a good year.  There was not a single event that occurred that made it really stand out.  But I felt as though I was in a good place.  Becoming the type of adult I wanted to be while still being young and carefree.

At the age of 28, I married my best friend.  This day still goes down in history as one of the best days of my entire life.

When I was 30 years old I had my first baby.  My beautiful baby boy.  He is hands down the funniest, smartest, most amazing little boy I have ever met.

Rachel and her family

After almost 4 years of trying when I was 35, I had my second baby.  My gorgeous baby girl.  This girl is the light of my life.  She is awesome and never fails to bring a smile to my face.

As I approach 37 and with my wonderful friend Karen approaching 60, I have spent a lot of time trying to really figure out what my favorite age has been.  And to be honest, I cannot come up with one.  I have had some years that were marked by incredible experiences.  I have become a wife, a mother twice and have had even had the awesome opportunity to become a self employed blogger.  I have seen the world and met some of the most amazing people.  And I cannot wait to see what comes next.  So instead of picking a favorite year, I have to say I am just so thankful to God for an amazing life.  Every experience I have had has made me into the woman I am today.  So far I wouldn’t change any of it for anything in the world.

Happy upcoming 60th Birthday Karen.  Thank you for asking me to be a part of your celebration.  I hope you have an amazing year!

If you would like to contribute to this series, please send me an email with your story, a picture or two, and a link to your blog if you have one.

 

Seth, Emily, Becca, and me with the Easter Bunny

Thought you guys would like to see this pic of me with my kids and the Easter Bunny. It was taken in 1984!