I burst into tears when I saw the miracle of Gabrielle Giffords, walking, talking and recognizing fellow elected officials in the House of Representatives yesterday. Her joyous wave and infectious smile lit up what had become a coarsely divided and bitterly bicker-some group, even for 10 minutes.
She was quoted as saying, “I could not take the chance that my absence could crash our economy” so she surprised and delighted the chamber with her visit and her vote. Both in December 2009 and February 2010, she had objected to raising the debt limit, yet more recently was convinced to vote in favor as she followed the debate swirling around the circumstances of the US economy hanging so tenuously in the balance. She realized, particular that women and money are involved in this current debate insomuch as women struggle through lower wages and increased family and work balance issues, more so than men.
Additionally, should the credit rating of the United States of America drop, that translates immediately into higher costs of borrowing, which again adversely affects women and money through much higher car payments and mortgage payments to name two.
Nancy Pelosi deemed Gabby “the personification of courage”. Would that our Representatives and Congress people personify courage in continuing the tough conversations; not quitting, as we can’t afford the luxury of a negative thought, or negative words, for that matter.
We need ideas, we need strategies, and we need courageous leaders, leaders like Gabrielle Giffords!
