Moms Crucial to Communities

May 13, 201
Ann Marie Buerkle

In homes across Central and Western New York, mothers work, raise their children, support their spouses and partners, pay the bills, take care of their homes, pay taxes and contribute in countless ways to the well-being of their communities. Our region is particularly fortunate to have mothers who are also community leaders and elected officials, presidents of hospitals, companies, community colleges and universities.

My own background as a working mom, now with grown children and grandchildren, underscores the commonality of the motherhood experience. I remember what it was like to balance the challenges of rearing children while juggling a myriad of other responsibilities. My daughter and daughter-in-law are a different kind of mom than I was, and I was different from my mother and her mother before her. For my 90-year-old mother, the child of Italian immigrants, blogging her parenting activities or coaching her child's soccer team would be completely foreign. I imagine many of the aspects of modern motherhood baffle a woman whose world was entirely focused on her home and family.

But like so many mothers, my mom's parenting reflected the universal nature of sacrifice and love. My only sister, Mary, was four years older than I. She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when she was in the eighth grade and for the last 20 years of her life was a quadriplegic, totally dependent on her family and my mother, her primary caregiver. My mom served her daughter's needs with selflessness and unflinching devotion. She was an advocate, just as all mothers are for their children.

Over the last two years, I have had the great privilege of meeting some remarkable moms who struggle daily with similar challenges - children with intellectual or physical disabilities, a fight against the ravages of breast cancer or auto-immune diseases, domestic abuse or abandonment. And mothers who have experienced the loss of a child to disease, accident, suicide or in service to this country.

As I encounter them and their stories, I am inspired as a mother, a grandmother, a daughter, a sister and an American. I take seriously the importance of advocating for these wonderful women, and I am very grateful to represent them and the rest of the 25th District in Congress. These are difficult and contentious times. We are a diverse community, and while we may agree on the problems, we don't necessarily agree on the solutions. But this Mother's Day, please join me in recognizing that regardless of race, religion, politics or personalities, our mothers are essential to our communities, and they should be valued for the sacrifices they make each day for the well-being of their families. Found Here

(Raymond and I have known Ann Marie for a long time. She is a nurse and I first met her when she worked briefly at St. Joseph's hospital many years ago when I was working there. While raising her six children, she obtained her law degree from Syracuse University. She has always been active in the Syracuse pro-life community and continues to remain firm to her pro-life commitment since being elected to Congress almost two years ago. She is often vilified by our very liberal local newpaper and yet continues unswervingly to follow her conscience as she represents our 25th congressional district. -PD)


Jan 20, 2011