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By Lauren Reuss
I’d like to think I’m a thankful person. I grew up saying please and thank you, just as any other kid taught to mind their P’s and Q’s, and every night after laying my head on my pillow, I’d reflect on the day and tell God how much I appreciated every prayer He answered. In school, I said thank you to my teachers for taking extra time to work with me; at church, I said thank you for kind words and well wishes. When parents volunteered their time to make sure competition weekends ran flawlessly, a thank you was the first thing to escape my lips as I saw them carrying props or serving hot meals to chilled band kinds.
Despite being raised to be grateful for all the wonderful blessings in my life, I’ve noticed lately that life is quick to squash out my gratitude. It’s not that the service of others and the incredible experiences don’t merit my attention- if anything the people and opportunities deserve more praise than I can ever express in words. Reality is, I’ve been caught up in the fast pace of the world around me and have forgotten to stop and relish the good that is in my life. In honor of the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment and to share what has been on my heart but hasn’t been said in far too long, I’ve decided to pay homage to the women who have made my year in ways they’ll never know.
1. Thank you, mom, for putting up with the daughter that doesn’t call enough and seems to only come home at the enticement of a pot of red chili. Thank you for sending me baby Yoda memes and helping me to figure out how to write checks and for keeping me in the loop no matter how often I forget to let you in on my life. Thank you for supporting me even when I let you down, and for answering my phone calls at ridiculous hours and for telling me that you’d be proud of me- even if I didn’t make straight A’s or go to the church I grew up in. More than anything, thank you for raising me to love others and serving as an example of selflessness and dedication. You’re my inspiration and I’m proud to be your daughter.
2. Kathy Meyer, I literally would not have gotten through the fall semester had it not been for our weekly Dare to Care runs for the Cupboard. I may have had a rough morning or have struggled to see that the work I was doing was making an impact on the University, and no matter what was going on in your life, you were sure to take time for me. Thank you for driving Winnie to Fern Valley road and back on your lunch break just so I’d have help in what has been the most challenging year yet. Thank you for being candid and hopeful and for helping me to see the difference that is possible with faith and frozen corndogs.
3. To my current “boss,” Representative Melinda Gibbons Prunty- if it wasn’t for you, I am not sure I’d have hope in the legislative process. In passing, you said “if voting against this bill sends me home, then so be it. It’s the right thing to do.” It may not have been out of the ordinary for you, but it certainly shook me to the core. You have transformed my views on politics, and I will not soon forget your strength, your moral compass, or your vision for bettering the world for your grandchildren and your constituents in western Kentucky. Above all, thank you for being such a phenomenal, wise woman and for being the mentor I didn’t know I needed.
4. God blessed me when he sent Emily Davis into my life. Emily, you have not only opened my eyes and my heart to the will of the Lord, but you have become a very dear friend and trustworthy confidant. Thank you for discipling me, for having faith, and for introducing me to the best coffee in the ‘ville. If angels exist on earth, you are certainly one of them and you have more than earned your wings.
5. No one has changed the pictures in my head and colored my world more than Jasmyne Post. You have been there as I’ve journeyed through every high and low, held me as I’ve cried and empowered me to be the woman I could only dream of being. You show me every day what it means to work hard, to serve others, and to dare to be part of something greater than myself. You culture me with your bold music and you temper me with your stories. Every adventure with you- be it to Texas Roadhouse and the waterfront, a crazy drive to every enterprise car rental on this side of 65, or a road trip to the Capital- is an opportunity to learn and grow. You are the best big sister I didn’t ask for and never realized I needed. You will do big things with your even bigger heart, and I am so thankful to have lived in the same time and place in this vast and beautiful universe as such an inspiring woman as you.
Lauren Reuss is a McConnell Scholar in the Class of 2022. She is studying communications, economics, political science, and Spanish at the University of Louisville.