Two women forged a bond of friendship that lasted 50 years. Elizabeth Cady Stanton was married to Henry Brewster Stanton (47 years) and Susan B. Anthony was never married. In 1869, these women founded the National Women’s Suffrage Association. They worked for a constitutional amendment to grant women the right to vote. All other reforms would hinge on this primary objective.

Stanton and Anthony were emotionally mature women. They could give constructive criticisms of each other in private and make known their opinions without damaging their friendship. In public, they chose to concentrate on a unified front which they shared.

One of Anthony’s arguably most famous quotes: “Resistance to tyranny is obedience to God.” Even though Anthony was never completely comfortable with public speaking, she was willing to travel the United States for over 45 years to make 75-100 speeches per year in support of the women’s suffrage movement and other important matters. Passion overcame the fear; wisdom resonated with the crowds of people.

Anthony was not against marriage; she was for equality. She agreed with her friend, Lucretia Mott who said it well: “In a true marriage relation, the independence of the husband and wife is equal, their dependence mutual and their obligation reciprocal.”

Stanton described how they complemented each other in their labors: “In writing we did better work than either could alone…I am the better writer, she is the better critic. She supplies the facts and statistics, I the philosophy and rhetoric…Our speeches may be considered the united product of two brains.” Stanton’s husband said: “Susan stirred the puddings, Elizabeth stirred up Susan, and then, Susan stirs up the world!”

Both women were self-confident which gave them the bravery to follow their purposes in life. To speak out against injustices in the mid- late 1800’s was heroic and anytime for that matter. I believe that divine guidance is always the undercurrent of such inspiring motivations.  May we remember Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony and the multitude of other women who stand up for what is right.

Recently, I reread a portion of my mother’s (Kathleen C. Bishop) memoirs which were published in the book  “Fort Fairfield – It’s Time to Tell our Stories- 1858 – 2008” Editors: Rayle Reed Ainsworth and Sarah Ulman 2009 (Hardcover published by Frontier Heritage Society).

Mom wrote her story of her childhood in 2002- five years before she passed away. She had clarity of mind before dementia set in and I am so grateful that she entrusted me with those precious hand-written pages. (She knew that I would take care of them and have them published.)  I still have many letters that she wrote to me while I was working in Ogunquit, Maine (1969) and later, in California (1970 – 71)and in Saugerties, NY. My mother had a passion for writing and late in life, she confessed to me that she wished she had used this talent to a greater degree. What she didn’t understand was that her letters to family and friends forged a bond between us and her. It doesn’t matter that the whole world didn’t read her thoughts. Those of us who were privileged to have access to her words of comfort (and some anxiety as well) were blessed with her love and friendship.

Mom was ahead of her time in the 1950s, in that, she started her own business while most women were housewives. In the beginning, she raised poodles in the basement of our homestead and later, had a large kennel built in our backyard which housed several breeds of dogs. Even though she worked long hours, we (her children) knew where to find her.

Although, she had her faults (like all of us), she taught me how to be brave in a man’s world of business. She introduced me to commerce when I was 12 years old by encouraging me to raise and sell Beagles. She stood quietly by me when I sold my first drawing of woman’s face to a local businessman from Presque Isle, Maine. He asked me how much I wanted for it and I replied, “$10.” Next, he said, “I will give you $5.” Emphatically and without hesitation, I said, “NO!” Immediately, he gave me the $10. My mom did not say a word, but I could see how proud she was of me for standing firmly on what I believed.

When I was a child, I wrote poetry for my mother. I saw how much she loved reading what I wrote. Thinking that I was an artist at an early age, I painted for her admiring eyes. She displayed all of my artwork so that family, friends and all of her customers could see them, too.

Although my mother had some serious flaws, I choose to concentrate on the positive influences that she had on me. She became spiritual late in life and expressed sorrow for the errors of her earlier ways. God used her to teach me many things, one of which is to always be sure of what I believed to be right and to express these beliefs with confidence. The greatest bond that I ever had with my mother was the practice of praying together – when I was a child and then, later in her life when I could sense that she meant every word she said.  She came to God like a child – believing with all of her heart.  My mother went to be with our Lord at age 91 in 2007.

The influence that some people have on our lives is immeasurable. We all have such a great potential to love – I feel as though I am just scratching the surface of it. But I know – the more I depend on God – the more I will be able to express it in everyway. I thank God for using my mom to show me unconditional Love and for those people who choose to express love to me today.