Leap Year Ladies

Did you even notice that we had one more day in February this past week? It was a good day for recognizing good women! On 2-29-24 President Biden issued a proclamation for Women’s History Month (March 1^st-31^st): “…we celebrate the courageous women who have helped our Nation build a fairer, more just society…though their stories too often go untold, all of us stand on the shoulders of these sung and unsung trailblazers…women are seated at every table where decisions are made….” This Administration boasts a record number of ladies-a-leaping cabinet secretaries.

I was not aware of the number of females named as cabinet secretaries (5), but I always recognize Leap Years. Two women in my family hold February 29^th birthdays.

My maternal extended family honored my grandmother, Bertha (Alice) Ryan Whitacre, on a countrywide internet celebration. From North Carolina to Washington (and several states in-between), one remaining daughter, grandchildren and great-grandchildren gathered around the Zoom firepit to share memories. Grandma, called “Lady” by Grandpa, lived a long life (1896-1986) and was mother to 10 children (and miscarried 3 more). However, at age 12 she dreamed of becoming a missionary, even changing her middle name to Ryan as she admired Bertha Ryan, a missionary working with orphans in India.

Grandma waited until age 8 to have a February 29^th birthday celebration. At the turn of the century in 1900 there was no extra day in February. According to Aunt Joyce, birthdays were not a big deal “back then,” although she recalled that along with her 9 siblings in childhood years, everyone celebrated Grandma’s un-birthdays at midnight on February 28^th by banging on pots and pans. In honor of Aunt Joyce’s joy-filled memory, we had Zoom instructions to crash pan lids together. One cousin beat on a pan like a drum.

Meanwhile, my brother had a live celebration with another extended family, sending balloons skyward at sunset in memory of his wife’s Leap Year birthday. Pancreatic cancer cut short Pamela Scope Clark’s life (1960-2009). The helium-filled balloons all stayed together in a cluster until they were out of sight, perhaps a metaphor for how important it is for families to “stick together” through thick and thin. My sister-in-law Pam was mother to one son and step-mother to a second son, although as an obstetrics charge nurse she helped countless babies make the leap from watery wombs to first breath.  

Likely you have strong women in your acquaintances, whether Leap Year babies or not, who left legacies of everyday courage. Grandma is remembered for being a “gentle woman of steel.” This description also applies to my sister-in-law as well as many other women.

Women’s contributions too often are invisible in our “his-story” books. It is the unsung heroines whose quiet strength we most need to honor during Women’s “Her-story” Month.

Pearls of Peace (PoP) Quiz

269. Who among your acquaintances is an unsung lady to remember this month?

270. How might you celebrate “gentle women of steel” during this Women’s History Month?