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Capes and Aprons

In preparation for the next legislative session, a core group of volunteers within the Texans For Vaccine Choice membership met in Austin to discuss the future structure of our organization. I went with absolute giddiness because I knew I was about to meet superheroes.

I have been working in the background with Texans For Vaccine Choice since the 2015 legislative session, jumping on action alerts and putting boots on the ground at the capitol and for vetted candidates. But Texas is HUGE, y’all. I never had the opportunity to meet MANY of the super-dedicated volunteers that make our group so strong. Without them, Texans For Vaccine Choice would be nowhere and the cash-driven lobbyists would be winning!

I expected to walk into a room and see powerful people. I expected to be inspired by the sheer amount of high-octane powerhouses I had experienced on our social media stomping ground. I expected superheroes and to somehow get a peek at their capes tucked neatly into their clothes.

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But I didn’t see that.

I saw moms. I saw moms struggling to be there but, come hell or high water, they got there. I saw moms who had to bring their vaccine-injured children with them while their husbands patiently waited in the hotel until the meeting was over. I saw moms who had traveled 400 miles to be there and pay for the hotel and meals out of their own pocket. I saw how that expense was painful. I saw how they gave without complaining. I saw moms with their tiny, bright-eyed babes nurse and hold them close all day long. And then there was the mom whose husband didn’t support her being there. She came anyway.

The room was filled with these women I always perceived to be unbreakable. I saw their meekness and common struggles.

I saw their aprons.

These women were there in addition to their regularly-scheduled, hard-working lives in order to preserve personal liberties and informed consent. In spite of being stressed and tugged at by family, health, and finances, they came to kick butt. They were intelligent, committed, talented, passionate, creative, worthy, resourceful, strategic, multitasking, loving machines!

I saw their capes. They just wore them on the front.

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