I was born amid a snowstorm, in an age where there were no cell phones, nor color television. In fact, we only had a handful of channels on television, if you were lucky enough to own one. In those days vehicles were V-8 engines and did not have seatbelts. Life was so simple.

In the Summer we played outside, and in the Winter we played outside. If we played a game on a rainy day, it was a board game such as monopoly or checkers, or we colored and dreamed of what we wanted to be when we grew up. Most boys wanted to be a policeman, or a fireman. Those were not even an option if you were a girl. You could be a wife, a mother, a bookkeeper, a secretary or a teller at a bank. Options for women were very limited.

I don’t know how many times I was told I could not do something with the explanation, “Because you’re a girl!”  This broke my spirit for a long, long time. I wanted to play baseball and hockey. “No, sorry, that’s for boys only. You can draw or paint, or cook.” Continue reading →