SPECIAL | feature
ne of the joys of aging is having
the opportunity of looking back and seeing a pattern to the threads of our lives. We’ve all heard the story of looking at
the back of the tapestry with all the knots, only to turn it over to see the beautifully woven design. As life unfolds in real time, it’s like viewing the backside of a tapestry. It appears to be nothing more than a jumble of thread —tangled, frayed, occasionally knotted and seemingly random. Often, we can’t see the sense in life’s events. Nevertheless, things are not always what they seem. It’s only when you turn a tapestry over that you see the art: the rich colors, the texture and the patterns that can make a tapestry a thing of spectacular beauty. It’s when looking back I can see The Weaver’s hand in the events of my life. MY LIFE IN P.E.O. IS SOMETHING LIKE THAT TAPESTRY. My P.E.O. life began in 1975. I was very pregnant with my second child when I was initiated into Chapter AT in Port Arthur, Texas. Aline Showalter, a fine lady I barely knew, was the president then. Mildred Sheifley, we called her Aunt Mike, was the family friend who nominated me. She was insistent that P.E.O. was for me. Little did I realize then how important a role P.E.O. would play in my future. In 1980 when my third child was three, my marriage fell apart. I couldn’t see how I could manage P.E.O. with three young children and a full-time job, which became absolutely necessary. I almost went inactive but Aunt Mike wouldn’t allow it. She paid my dues. In 1983, I took my children and went to the University of Texas (UT) to work on a master’s degree. I had enough money to make it through the two summer semesters. Making these arrangements turned out to be a challenge. I took baby steps of faith as one by one, arrangements for housing and childcare fell into place. I was given a glimpse of what The Weaver can do with the fabric of our lives. I completed the second semester and began to think of how much money I’d spent and how I could possibly complete the degree I’d started. As I packed up the few things we had brought with us, I noticed an issue of The P.E.O. Record. On the back cover was a full-page about the P.E.O. Program for Continuing Education (PCE) grant. I read the requirements necessary and realized that I was a perfect fit. When I returned home, I contacted our chapter president and she began the application process for a grant we had only just heard of.
by Gail Cawley Showalter, CC, Beaumont, Texas
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THE P.E.O. RECORD | March–April 2022
Women helping women reach for the stars
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