My final Social Justice Warrior is the late Supreme Court Justice, and hero to many, Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Ginsburg died just weeks ago, September 18, the first day of Rosh Hashanah. She was eighty-seven. I thought this post would be about her. But there are a thousand posts about her.
About the Look
Two years ago, October 2018, I attended a wedding during Costober. I requested and received permission to continue Costober for the three day celebration. Today, I attended a funeral.
Elda Medeiros was ninety-one. She was my daughters’ great-grandmother on their father’s side. She was the true matriarch of the whole family; five children, five grandchildren, five great-grandchildren. I knew her half my life, longer than any of my own grandparents or my parents. She was family and I loved her. I love her.
I last saw Elda in August, our only visit this year due to COVID. We had a backyard picnic, complete with S’mores, and played dominoes. She showed me a rug she’d completed while recovering from her last surgery. And she told me the story of the wall she built in her “new” (she’d lived there decades) home from the bricks of her old home, the one she raised her children in.
I’d heard the story before but I let her tell it in full. I love that story. How she took the remains of the house she had to leave behind, and added it to her new home. How she scavenged the floor tiles, bargained for the tools, and taught herself how to do every bit of it. She was so proud, and she had every right to be, it’s amazing!
Elda was an artist. She probably wouldn’t call herself one, but she quilted, she painted, she made collage, she caned chairs, she crocheted, she was a genius at upcycling. She taught her grandson to sew and now it’s his career.
Elda saw potential in what the rest of us would throw away. She wouldn’t call herself a social justice warrior, either. But among her children and her grandchildren and her great-grandchildren are lawyers and teachers, naturalists and artists, scientists and seekers, authors and dreamers.
Elda Medeiros and Ruth Bader Ginsburg were small of stature but giants of spirit and the world will be lesser without them, unless we choose to live as they did.
About My Look
Ruth Bader Ginsburg is almost as famous for her collars as for her deeds so that’s what I set out to look for. This collared blouse with pearled buttons was another lucky thrift store find. The cardigan was also purchased secondhand, a couple years ago. I paired them with a simple black skirt and shoes and a pearl earring. The Hamilton face mask is from the Etsy shop KnoCoMavPop.