Moms and Mothers' Day and A New Idea

We're not props.  We weren't props when we demanded equal access to the American Way of Life as suffragists..  We weren't props when we marched for the ERA or in support of Roe v Wade.  We aren't props now, as we ask our legislators for sensible gun legislation.

We weren't deluded nor used as unwitting tools of an undefined evil then, and we are not now. Funny how those sorts of labels seem to attach themselves to women acting out, speaking up, making their voices heard.  "I don't care if he thinks I am annoying, I'm going to keep calling," wrote a female friend.  I think it's time to stop worrying about how they feel and start taking charge of things ourselves.

AT&T used to advertise that more calls were made on Mothers' Day than on any other day of the year.  Men who never picked out a card at any other time of year make sure to send one home to Mom every May.  As Big Cuter and I can attest, when babies are born on Mothers' Day, the hospital gives every new mother a rose. Unlike Columbus Day, no one worries if it is politically correct to celebrate it.  How can you be against Moms?

Moms Demand Action is calling this Mothers' Day Week of Action.  The link will take you to the program planning page, which suggests emails and letters to the editor and phone calls and gatherings.  I am more intrigued by the Do-It-Yourself Flowers.

You cut tissue paper or the Sunday comics or colorful magazine pages to somewhere between 8x14 and 12x8... the directions are kind of funky on the issue.  Fold it into 2" accordion pleats, cut the folded edge into fringe, tape one end onto the top of a bamboo skewer, roll it up,  and secure it with more tape. Unfurl and ta-dah!!  If you follow this link you'll find more explicit directions and pictures, too.  I excerpted them here so that you can see how easy it will be.

When?  Are you wondering what I have in mind?  Moms Demand Action is encouraging Mothers' Day Eve parties, and I'm jumping on the bandwagon.  You and the kids, you and your bridge partners, you and yourself... you can all make a difference.  Gather the supplies, clear off the kitchen table, and create eight home made works of wonder, to celebrate the lives of the eight children who die as a result of gun violence every day.

Then, take some pictures... take lots of pictures... and send them around.  Email them and tweet them to your local and federal officials. Post them on social media.  Send them to your local newspaper, leave them on the doorstep of your Senator's office.

That's where mine are going... right to Jeff Flake's heavily secured office door.  It's what I can do, right now.