How The Henry Ford Saved My Life

     In September 2004, I gave birth to the most amazing blue eyed baby.  My husband and I were overjoyed and I became a stay at home mom and homemaker.  After four years of college and four years teaching Kindergarten. This was a huge change and I loved it.  Then the days got shorter and my hormones crashed. Add criticism from what seemed like every direction (except my husband).  The darling man that I married decided that he had to drive the vehicle that had the car seat and that my little car wasn't safe for his precious bundle of joy.  I was stuck.  Like my mother had been with no driver's license, no degree, no career and a baby.  I adored my daughter, my husband and my dog, but everything became so hard.  Like sucking mud covered me.

     We live in an urban area. The air is thick and people are indifferent. I was isolated. Shopping was my only reason to leave the house. We were adjusting to only one income and EVERY purchase brought guilt. I sick with a kidney infection that didn't get diagnosed until late 2005. My baby was awesome sleeping only 20 minutes at a time and eating 30 minutes leaving me with 10 minutes of every hour to change and burp her. I was sinking fast with no lifeline in sight.

     By the time Christmas came around I had a three month old and the people geographically closest to me had a lot of questions, mostly unspoken.  My husband was concerned and he strategically chose my Christmas gift.  Some men might have chosen diamonds or an appliance, we were still adjusting to the expenses of a baby and only one income.  His gift to me wasn't especially romantic in the eyes of  our peers and family, but it was perfect for me.  A membership to The Henry Ford  gave me a destination. That little plastic card was a sign that he saw me, the one with whom he fell in love. He recognized my struggle and threw me the best lifeline I could imagine, a baby/child friendly place of learning.   The companion membership meant that I could drag invite friends and family.  Not only was I meeting new people but investing time in haggard friendships.  Here I found/find intelligent conversation, other moms, curious individuals, diversity of every kind, and a bit of green space for this country girl.

      We visited at least once a week usually more. I was seen on the premises sometimes less then 2 days prior to the birth of my subsequent children and the day I came home from the hospital with one of them (not a good decision, pain killers do not help this mommy make good decisions).  My second daughter's first crush was on Abraham Lincoln.  We watched horse movies every day for an entire Winter because one child missed the horses at the Greenfield Village desperately. We wait each Spring for the lambs to be born. Know the rams by name, where the chickens lay the eggs, what buildings have kittens in them and when the cows are due to calve.  My daughters think of Thomas Edison, Harvey Firestone, and Henry Ford as friend that camped together.  The Wright Cycle Co.(where the first airplane was built) is a place we visit and pottery is not just made in China or Japan.

     Every year when we renew our membership I am reminded of how much my husband cares for me, for us, and our girls. The Henry Ford Museum is still my place to go. If I ever had a free day it would call to me with the antique telephones, Presidential Limousines, pop culture exhibits, and the Dymaxion House .  Greenfield Village with it's pastoral scenes and industrial age workshops offers solace while kindling the fire to learn, is one of my favorite places on earth.

     Not only did The Henry Ford save my life, but it has made it so much fuller.