A midwife’s tale

I skipped my supper last evening, so engrossed was I in The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon that I literally couldn’t put the book down until the last page.  And when I read the author’s notes and discovered that about 75% of the story was based on fact, though greatly fictionalized, I was blown away.  The story is about Martha Ballard, a midwife in the late 1700s who lived in the territory of Maine and who delivered 1,000 babies without losing one woman!  What makes her stand out is that she was literate and kept a diary of not just her deliveries but what was going on around her.  I am now eager to order Martha Ballard’s biography, A Midwife’s Tale, written by Laurel Thatcher, from our local library.  For those of you who like a well-written, thoughtful book that explores the complex issues of human society, this is a book for you.

Life is so much easier these days than when Martha Ballard lived, and yet many of our struggles remain the same.  Acceptance of those who are not white.  Living in a white male-dominated culture.  The whims of justice and the law.  Abiding by the unspoken rules of society.  The list could go on, but I feel so empowered by knowing that women like Martha Ballard actually lived and, in spite of odds, achieved something that few doctors have ever achieved.  Imagine delivering 1,000 babies by candle and firelight and never losing a mother!  

What the book reminded me of is that we are all surrounded by unsung heroes and heroines who simply go about living their lives to the best of their ability, me better people.  Yes, there is a lot wrong with the world, but the tale of Martha Ballard reminds me that there is still so much good.  There are so many who quietly do their thing…teaching school, being a daycare worker, collecting the trash, working in stores, building and repairing our roads, IT workers, those working in health care.  The list goes on and on.  Some just put in their time, but there are those who do what they do with a smile and a quiet joy in being able to make a contribution to their communities.  And we are all so much better for it. and in the process pave the path for the rest of us to become better people.