My mom has always been my hero but there was a moment in my life when I truly saw her as a “world-changer.”  My parents were stationed in Birmingham, Alabama where my dad (Colonel in the Army) was the Senior Advisor to the 87th Maneuver Area Command which extended from Maine to Puerto Rico.  Mom had plenty of responsibilities as the spouse of the Senior Advisor.  One of her responsibilities was to attend a monthly gathering with the Retired Officer’s Wives Club of the Birmingham area.  The other officer’s wives in the unit also attended.  The gathering was held at a different place each month but on this occasion, it was held at a prominent country club in Birmingham.  The year was 1980.  Mom went to the luncheon with the spouse of one of Dad’s Majors. Upon their arrival to the club, a hostess came out and told them that they would need to enter through the back of the club instead of through the front door.  You see, the Major’s wife was black and this particular country club did not allow blacks to enter the club.  They had no problem with the major’s wife joining the luncheon because it was in a back room that could be entered from the back.  My mom, my hero, explained to the hostess that that was absolutely unacceptable.  She took the arm of the Major’s wife and walked through the front door, through the main dining room and into the room designated for the luncheon.  They walked at a normal pace and carried on a conversation as if nothing unusual was happening.  I was in college at the time and when my mom shared this experience with me, she became my world-changer.  It gave me the courage to stand up for right and boldly make a difference.

Do you have a world-changer in your life?

Submitted by Denise Robinson