The Women Who Influenced My Life

by Lynn Fochs (WSU student)

There were four women in my life that had a profound effect on who I am today. They shared their gifts with me as I was growing up, influencing the direction and manner my life would take.

The first is my mother who constantly annoyed me as I annoyed her. We were not two peas in a pod; we were made from very different patterns. She was a feminine woman who loved her laces and pearls. Me, well, I am still the eternal tomboy who loves jeans and getting dirty. We spent most of our lives butting heads over the way little girls should become young ladies who transform into graceful women. She shined with her outward show of beauty, and I glowed with my scratches from changing the engine in my car. What she did teach me was unconditional love and acceptance in every other area of my life. There was not a person out in the world who would not be welcomed at our door. I learned that even though we may come from different backgrounds or lifestyles treating others with dignity is a gift that all should possess. For a woman from the East, she had Southern hospitality down to a science.

The second was my Aunt Ruth who, at 5’2” and an entire 90 pounds soaking wet, spent her entire life shopping in the children’s department for clothes. No one pushed Aunt Ruth around. She was a single parent of two very tall, strong boys who knew better than to answer with anything other than, “yes ma’am.” She was a loving person who believed in respect; she gave it and demanded it. She taught me that being treated with respect came with the ability to expect respect and never to accept anything less.

The third was Margaret, a neighbor who lived down the street when I was growing up. She became a second mother to me. I remember going to church with her, lighting candles, and spending Friday evenings at her house for fish dinner. She taught me the importance of believing in a higher power. The gift of knowing that there is more to life than just birth and death. The comfort and strength that can be gained through the power of prayer in a life that while lived day to day looks beyond this world.

The fourth was my Nana who was my mother’s best friend and having grown up in the South showed me that along with hospitality came responsibility. While you could always count on Nana for a hug, there was no getting away with anything in her house. You took care of business when it came to cleaning up, eating a proper meal and taking care of others in need. I learned to be accountable for my actions, take my punishments and learn from my mistakes at the hand of my wise Nana.

It was the gift given from these four women that helped to build a foundation for how I would live my life. While Amelia Earhart showed me that women could fly, Helen Keller that any disability could be overcome, Rosa Parks that some things are worth fighting for no matter the cost, and Marie Curie that intelligence is not about gender, it was these four who walked with me in my life giving me the guidance that can only be gained with firsthand knowledge.