Betsy Hodges is my sister-in-law, she is my husband’s sister, she is my children’s Aunt, and she is the daughter of my mother and father-in-law, A.J. and Morrison Hodges.
She is the wife of Gary Cunningham and the step-mother to his two children. She is the step-grandmother to her four grandchildren.
She is the Mayor to the people of Minneapolis, Minnesota. She is the Mayor to all the people of Minneapolis,not just the people who have big cars and big houses and large bank accounts.
Betsy is also the little girl who made a Christmas ornament for her parents out of a lid. She glued a piece of gold felt to the inside of a yellow jar lid. She glued red sparkly glitter around her school picture. On the back of the lid she glued green felt and a cut out white snow flake and red glitter.
The jar lid has hung on her parents Christmas tree every year since Betsy was in first grade. I noticed it on the Christmas tree yesterday.
Today, January 6th, 2014, Betsy’s family sat in the front two rows in the Minneapolis City Hall rotunda and watched Betsy get sworn in as Mayor of Minneapolis.
As I watched Betsy get sworn in as Mayor I thought of the Christmas ornament hanging on Betsy’s parents Christmas tree. I thought of the little girl who made the ornament. The little girl who cut out the yellow felt and glued it on an old jar lid. The little girl who wore a white cotton shirt and a vest with a kitten on it. The little girl who had a ribbon in her hair.
The little girl who smiled for the camera.
After Betsy was sworn in Betsy and Gary hosted a family lunch. During the lunch Betsy had to leave early to get her photograph taken. Her official photograph as Mayor. She wore a white cotton blouse and a brown suit.
She smiled for the camera.
Betsy is still the same little girl who smiled for the photographer in first grade.
Betsy Hodges loves her parents who she made the ornament for, and she loves the people of the city of Minneapolis.
And I love her.
Congratulations Betsy.
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