Mrs. Elizabeth E. Miller

Mrs. Elizabeth E. Miller (or Grammy Miller) lived to be 90 years old. She was a Scotch/Yankeee who lived with her husband and four boys on Mountain and Lake View Farm in West Newbury, Vermont.

During an interview with Rebecca M. Halley, she was asked, "Did you ever have to do work that the men usually did?" Here's her response:

"One fall we had a five hundred and fifty pound dressed hog hanging in the yard. The men went off to Wells River to take up another hog they had dressed at the same time and left it hanging there and the caldron kettle half full of water. They aimed to get back and take the hog down to cellar before it froze. It would never do to let pork that was going to be salted freeze. I was all alone with the children and I waited until almost twelve. My husband didn't come and so I took a lantern and a saw and a knife and I went out to fetch that hog...I cut up that hog and loaded it piecemeal onto the sled. The worst part was getting it through the front door, but I managed. I had it all done before my husband got home. He asked who had brought the hog in. I said 'I did.' He asked who helped and I said, 'Alone.' I wasn't wasting many words on him. He was struck dumb."

These pioneer women have a lot to teach us by their example of hard work, long suffering and endurance. It is women like this that deserve to be recognized for their gutsy attitude and effort!

Copyright Michele A. Webb, 2005. All Rights Reserved.

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You have permission to publish this article electronically, in print, in your ebook or on your website, free of charge, as long as the author's information and web link are included at the bottom of the article and the article is not changed, modified or altered in any way. The web link should be active when the article is reprinted on a web site or in an email. The author would appreciate an email indicating you wish to post this article to a website, and the link to where it is posted.

Sandy Allen

At 7-feet, 7-1/4 inches, Sandy Allen is the world's tallest women. Although being the tallest has some advantages, it also has disadvantages as well, but Sandy has managed to laugh at the disadvantages. She has created a video titled, "It's OK To Be Different," in which Sandy challenges kids to make the best of obstacles they face and to always treat others with respect.

When Sandy was ten years old she was already more than 6 feet tall! A tumor in her pituitary gland caused the gland to produce too much growth hormone. In her late teens she had an operation that helped to control her growth. Without the surgery she would have continued to grow and eventually died at an early age.

While she has many health problems that she must deal with, Sandy has already outlived her life expectancy and yet she still takes times to talk to kids whenever she can. She talks to kids openly about her life and her problems. She responds to their questions warmly, gently, and with humor.

"Some people make fun of me because I'm so tall, but I'm proud of myself," Sandy says. "You've got to be proud of yourselves too, no matter what you are. Be proud of yourselves and make the best of what you've got."

She also tells kids about the Golden Rule, her 8-foot-long custom-made bed and how she sews many of her own clothes and wears size 22 hand-me-down sneakers provided by NBA stars!

For more information about Sandy Allen, call 1-888-BIG-SANDY or write to Chart Breaker Music and Video, P. O. Box 2942, Indianapolis, IN 46229.

Copyright M. A. Webb, 2005. All Rights Reserved

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Michele is a Netpreneur with five websites and numerous Blogs (see links on this page). She has successfully marketed an online learning system to a niche market with little or no advertising budget.

PUBLISHING AND REPRINT RIGHTS: You have permission to publish this article electronically, in print, in your ebook or on your website, free of charge, as long as the author's information and web link are included at the bottom of the article and the article is not changed, modified or altered in any way. The web link should be active when the article is reprinted on a web site or in an email. The author would appreciate an email indicating you wish to post this article to a website, and the link to where it is posted.

Lydia (Seller of Purple)

Lydia was a women ahead of her time. She lived in about A.D. 50 and was a business women from Thyratira. In her business she sold purple cloth, which at that time, was associated with high social rank and great wealth. Now, dyeing cloth was a lot harder to do in AD 50 than it is now. The purple dye was obtained from the shells of the murex, an ocean molusk. Because it was difficult to produce, the dye and garments of that color were expensive. As a dealer of the purple cloth, Lydia made a fantastic living for herself and her family. She was wealthy and well respected in her community.

We also know that Lydia was considered the "mistress" of her household, or the head of the household. Back then, this included both family and slaves. Historical references do not specifically tell us about Lydia's marital status, but we know that being considered head of household probably indicated that she was unmarried. Biblical scholars have debated back and forth whether she was widowed, divorced, or even perhaps, an ex-slave that was emancipated. Regardless, we know that it was "her" household.

Lydia's story is told in the Holy Bible, Acts 16:13-15, 40 where the Apostle Paul wrote:

"On the Sabbath we went in a little way outside the city to a riverbank, where we supposed that some people met for prayer, and we sat down to speak with some women who had come together. One of them was Lydia from Thyratira, a merchant of expensive purple cloth. She was a worshipper of God. As she listened to us, the Lord opened her heart and she accepted what Paul was saying. She was baptised along with other members of her household and she asked us to be her guests. "If you agree that I am faithful to the Lord," she said, "come and stay at my home." And she urged us until we did...Paul and Silas then returned to the home of Lydia, where they met with the believers and encouraged them once more before leaving town." (New Living Translation)

So, now we know, too, that Lydia believed in God and she and her entire household worshipped Him. Not only that, she was hospitable and welcomed Paul and Silas into her home. For her acts of kindness, God judged her to be a faithful believer.

I love the story of Lydia, a single woman with the strength, determination and integrity to be a successful entrepreneur in what was, undoubtedly, a male-dominated society, and yet publicly open about her faith and beliefs. She was a strong and competent person, yet warm and openhearted. She was both a follower of God and a leader amongst the people she lived. She was gutsy!

Copyright M. A. Webb, 2005. All Rights Reserved

About the Author: Michele owns her own Internet business and websites. You can visit her main page or her online training website, book website or other blogs as noted in the margins of this blog.