Wisdom of Women is Patience

Mary Washington was the mother of our first president yet there is not much know about her except that George Washington owed everything to his mother in education and good judgment.  He was known as the greatest general our country has ever had and his prudence in governing the country was well known.  He was exceedingly sure to not have a monarchy set up in our new founded independence. In fact he despised the royal sovereign of any country or religion.  He wanted all to be equally respected.

His mother is not well known because there was not many artist here in colonial America to paint her picture nor writers to report of her as the mother of GW.  Elizabeth Ellet author of The Women of the American Revolution found her excerpts for her book from diaries, letters, church records, personal meetings recalled through stories to tell of these women.

The only memoir of Mary Washington was found written by George Custis, the grandson of Martha Washington.  The story of her is that she was strict in her expected obedience of her children. She based her morality on the Christian faith teachings and she ran her own farm on horseback, (like GW would do later at Mount Vernon) managing the affairs of the fields, harvesting the crops.  Her husband died when GW was 12 years old ad when he applied to be a naval officer 2 years later she stopped him from going.  She had the final word and GW obeyed her.

Later when GW become the great commander and chief she was neither modest or boastful but obliged to say, she expected as much of him.  In her years of living, she was known for her kindness and charity to the poor or homeless sharing whatever she could, she did not have much.

In her elderly years her children invited her to take rest at their homes but she would not hear of it. GW invited her to Mount Vernon where she could be taken care of but she preferred her independence on her own farm where she lived until she died of breast cancer at 81 y. o. She did allow her daughter's husband to write her checks and balances as her eyesight was failing the last few years but she insisted on making all major decisions concerning the operation of her farm. She was tough but kind.  A lover of freedom like her son and all Americans.

In GW you see the best likeness of his mother, Mary.  

So far I am so amazed at all the ladies, the mothers, the wives, that raised their family without a father present.  Seems that in those years men were lost to war, to leadership of armies, or killed in the war, or died of smallpox or TB, and these women found a way to survive and feed their children even though this country was not formed yet.  No grocery stores, no automobiles, no doctors in every town, yet they survived.  

Women committed to the Revolution gave up all their comforts. Reports of giving all their clothes, their food, their meat supply, to every military regiment that passed through their farmland, giving up their jewelry their forks and knives to make pewter bullets, the ladies gave everything, became nurses cooks, to assist in their husband's safe return home was ever on their minds.

Women here have been independent leaders for centuries of their children/family whether they wanted it or not because of the absent fathers.  Women will continue to give all and move forward.

In time legislation will catch up.  We got the vote didn't we?  Patience.