 outside of the conditions when that wasn't what we needed to grow up, whether it's an afternoon on or a present day or during the semester. I'm sure there's some of the good places of my life that were in the Rio Grande Valley that makes you like school better than you like to be a top-seller. By my school, the ability to talk the eye of a couple was the first research in college. During the new bachelor's degree, you graduate from the University of Texas by the state of Texas, just in a class. And they heard the answers of the answers of the university's school-work team in the University of Texas. She ended up in San Antonio, along with her husband, driving Ron, probably the first one. But now, it's a global threat to life. But her, her three months under demand is that it's long there before they go out with him. And yeah, it's a global threat. Just then, she's been a small business owner, and I'm a survivor of nature. And I'll work here with several of them. They're kind of a research and directive, consumer-intensive, and satellite-interval-intensive in San Antonio, San Antonio. The latest project is collaborating with Internet and creating a curriculum that will help add to their culture on the career scale. That's a problem all of these learnings and failures, and that's the ability to talk to the university. The role of success is never forgotten in the group, and that's the greatest time in the field in the future, and that's one of the problems that we're facing today. She understands better than most the importance of literacy, and what is rather important behind the university program, that we are the most concerned and universal parent in the world and behind the wheel. She does so much the only way to be involved in the curriculum, but I know you've got a lot of work to do on it. And now, I'd rather have a lot of work to do in the future than have a lot to do in the future. Boston said that Koreans need to be lower. I should start turning the box around. But this was actually kind of nice, I can see about it, all right? Let me first thank you for having me here today, inviting me to continue to do great work and thank you, and I want to thank you all for doing great work in literary engagement. I'm very grateful to be here for you today, and for those that I don't know. For those that I do know, thank you for continuing to support an important defensive of our community. I do want to recognize my fellow First Lady, Justice Alanya, again. She and I both work for HG. And I have been noticing wonderful human beings and drugs at once, but I'm also proud of her abilities and what she does at HG, so I do want to recognize her. I want to thank any event that engages women in our community and promotes a message of empowerment as an important element for this city. We need a region to believe in itself, and that starts with a benefit of this. It starts with a bunch of like this, leading life under its path, and calls to action like the one she made earlier, or the human empowerment project. I will also start by saying that women are the basis of honor and society. I'm not exaggerating, I'm not predicting, and I'm not even dramatic. We don't live in a world dependent on women who boast of everything and only work. We are the base today. As of the workforce in the United States and in Texas, 61% of mothers work in some capacity to bring anywhere from a quarter to 100% of their families income. This will present the continuity of a long-running trend as women earn the economic contribution to their families' continued growth and importance. What more blatantly said, our economy could not function without women. Research shows that women are still living on average about twice as much housework and childcare as men, even when they work full-time. It is calculated that women are working an extra month before their spouse every year, and they do what is called second shift. This is an exhausting, unreal acknowledgement of a woman with a low risk of poverty. And I know that I started to find myself stretched with the more of the normal this year, but most of the people in this room are stretched as well. Our time, our resources, our energy often brains and tired as we are because both strong women and who are tired. We still give and we still get up tomorrow and do it all over again. We will coach, we will teach, we will manage money, we will cook, we will, we will, we will. And we are expected to deliver every day while balancing our lives and the lives of those around us. And the consequences of this, I saw a slide last week that shows modern mothers have three emotions always running simultaneously. Self doubt, more pain and passion and issues with trying to be the perfect mom of paradox out there. A woman who can do it all while leading a balanced life. How do you feel that way to a certain degree? Well today, I am here to tell you that work-life balance is a guilt trip throughout the trap of women. And it gets ran down our throats to convince us to chase an impossible phenomenon that we will never achieve. We are told to chase the balance myth in all it entails. Sacrificing satisfying work and advocacy for an outdated expectation that is no longer valid is precisely because we're expected to play so many levels. And that expectation that we put on ourselves feeds away at our own steam and it distracts us from going after balance of ending accomplishments and areas that perhaps society isn't ready for us to be in. Like politics, like policy and how we do it. If I, I would encourage the voters to exercise their right and have to feed my son dinner, I'm probably gonna go for a chick-fil-a ride to her. And I should not feel guilty for that. If I had accepted to a leadership program and I'm not spared from the laundry, why should I feel guilty asking mom to do it? I'm going to consider that modern womanhood isn't about work like balance anymore, but about boundaries that you make in all aspects of your life. Boundaries that you choose, not anyone else. And if that means that some days rock balance at home and have to order pizza, so we get, and if that means some days rock balance at work and have to delegate, so we get. As far as I'm concerned, the only true balance that you should go out to ladies is in your chain. I'll talk to the leader for the voters. Because voting and engagement in policy and politics is one of those typically up only things that we push to design and pursue of each other. Think about it, the most recent elections have surprised people because women have up-ended dollars. The most recent movements are changing policy around gender relations and women's safety have come about because women have up-ended dollars. According to the Center for American Women and Politics, we have voted then in 2016 by almost $10 million. That's natural. Without these men and women turnout during non-presidential election years, since 1960s and yet, we still feel like we're not doing enough. My breath, the power lies in taking care of others' needs. I'm not advocating that you ignore others, but I'm advocating that you do not care with the guilt of not doing enough as a mother, as a sister, as a professional. And if anything is to change, we must own our power in politics and policy proudly without guilt. Because voting is a part of that reclamation of that up-ending legacy that I urge you to start working towards today. To shape tomorrow, we must vote. Today, I'm going to vote a soldier in the rear-end valley. At the time there were permanent residents and in the state of Texas, you could only vote in your U.S. system. But what they lack in voting capabilities, they made up in political criticism. I need more policy debates. Most of my family is not educated past Christ's day. But they were talking about the real effects of sitting vote on their ability to work, on condition with roads at foot in our harmonium, about the fees they paid. Each dollar lost to a vote meant less food to my family and meant longer hours. So I listed up as I was growing up, not knowing some of the words they used, but knowing that it had an impact. And now we vote because it had so much power to help but also to help. It is this realization that the true motivation of voting exists for me. Our vote today can either create something tomorrow or prevent a curve from coming in. Whatever side or whatever aisle exists for you, I truly believe that most people want to help and see their vote at least as an extension of that generosity. We are a community of compassion, a hope, and a faith. Voting is an exercise in these Christmas, a leap of faith grounded in the hope that ultimately, a compassionate active brotherhood in the city is part of this idea. Now this morning, a lot of you might have to watch for what I do to cross the line. But I grew up with this. First of all, I didn't get to see Diana's wedding. I didn't get to see Kate Milliken's wedding. I thought, you know what? The doll makes me have any more of my 30th birthday. Some of the things I heard that I was very taken aback by the beautiful unexpected circle of message or people would love is probably part of the strategy. Because quite frankly, when I turned off the TV, all I had to think of was the word. And in many ways, that is what an extension of hope is. It is an act of love to your city, to your family. It is an act of love, even if you don't agree with the popular sentiments of it's an act of love. Running out of sheer coincidence is I didn't expect to wake up and hear one creature, a mystical creature. I happen to have breakfast with Archbishop. He spoke of love as well. And he spoke of compassion and I asked because I knew I was coming here right after. I said, you know Archbishop, what do we do when we face the most challenges in those people? You see? So it's in underpinning our faith in government that we seem to undermine our faith in our vote. You know, when we lose faith, sometimes if you get angry, it's all right, but you say it at times. You get upset. You get a complaint in your, you don't have anything good to say about the city. Well, you're trying to make a difference. Call things a joke. But frankly, all he said is, don't let this steal your joy. Steal your joy and tell me that what you're doing is moving forward and trying to convince people that an act of love for your city is an act of compassion, is an act of faith, is an act of hope. And that voting is at the very center of many of those decisions that you make as a parent and as a citizen. This is right in saying that there is a lack of faith today. Many ways. There's a lack of faith in government. In a non-partisan group, that harnesses the power of those who in many ways in families are the center of that own faith, is an up and in act. You turn and say that your votes, your votes are both, but to me it's also a harder privilege for women and ones that should exercise, be exercised further. We didn't put off taking care of our child because they were sick and sick in the doctor and we wouldn't hesitate to intervene and we found out that something was bullying our daughter at school. I don't think we should keep in-acted and protecting their future via our own center. It's an extension of the same responsibility to take care of one another. We all seek to take care of one another. The side to do with your act of love and compassion, do it, just to remind you that it is an extension of that compassion, that responsibility, that act of faith that you have, that your opinion and your voice should matter, but more than that, that it does affect someone, that it could create or hurt if you don't do it. Another of the new ones that you can even a question for opportunities, so I will end with it. Ladies, there is big issue of ownership of almost everything, remember that. So take ownership of your votes and your leadership role and what it affords you to the creation of our city and the future and raise the idea that you lead in every role you play in fully voting for the public. Ultimately that is what we need to do when we will empower others who are active today. With the strongest base that the community needs right now. They need us right now. Well, Ron and I both always do things for Jonas' sake. For the more I get to meet people around the city, the more I understand that we really all want the same. We want peace, we want hope, and we want to wake up, go outside and just feel that the person across the street is a good kind of human being and that we're the person that you can always be. And we can reclaim all that by showing by leading forward. Sometimes people are scared, but they all want the same thing and it just takes one person to step forward. One of the things I did to step forward is that I am going 50 of these custom made, real circuit shirts to the league of women voters and that he was asking for $25 a nation who are going to get there. And there's only 50, they are there to size this where you got to hurry. Anyone to buy for your daughter can buy it. We're having you this morning here and if there is, before I have to go and anyone have a question, I'm just going to give you a tag who was very merciless about it. The question is, if Ron and I had spoken about our role with specifically these first ladies, the answer is we know what husband and recovery like to do. So I'm going to give you a quick question about what he likes to do. But the truth is, in the conversation we had, there were three conversations we had about this meeting. The first was that it was important for me to be with Jonah, board of about eight and many a council. And so we agreed that as much as possible I would only give out two nights a week to events with him. So that's why if he seems sad to make sure that Jonah has a parent assisting him around, though Ron does maximize his confidence. The second conversation we had was he's known that I've had a passion for literacy for a long time. He has been taking over the mayor's book club for this year. And so, and I know that we just finished Councilmen's Alignments District. So what we did is we redacted and redistributed instead of being the mayor's book club and holding the central library for this first, we asked each council district to pick a passion for an issue that was important in their district and make that the central of the book club that Councilmen's Alignments, knowing Jessica's love, they found a welfare, they found a welfare. And each council person has a specific, but the second part of it was we launched it at the district library. The local people do not have to worry about going to them. Councilmen could go to their local district. So that was the second conversation. And then the third conversation we had was he did tell me I would probably have to just be careful not to go out and love me when we were like, but too much of sweatpants and things. Just because he said, what was going to happen to your kitchen? I don't want to hear it later. But that's to the extent we really try to balance this much more. And we couldn't do it that. I think this is an important thing. We couldn't do it without the help of our family, help us take care of our son. My father-in-law was right now watching Joe have his feet. And I think it's important to note that an issue with childcare and important childcare is probably something that we're seeing so we got that. The means, we're educated, we've got jobs, we can access childcare, we can access the children, but there are so many families that don't have that option. And not just people that don't have that are in our local system, not even middle-class families who have that option. And I do think that as a city, childcare is something that I believe is just amazing, but that hopefully answers your question. I might have gotten one better. One other question, and then I have to go to a lot of them. We are in Boulder's project. Texas is all described as a dog, and this is fair, because we are on to the lead with our takeaway as we leave for today, and it's pretty on in this pitch working environment. Sounds good. I think that my first mission and impression of my new person was sometimes to think about voting, to think of a giant issue, to think of a social, big policy issue. And it's a very scary thing. And if you think about it, you also consider the fact that thank you, Steve, what is my drop in the bucket that I really need to change that ocean? What I always say, one of the first things that is important is to remind people that your votes, that you're voting, and that your engagement with civic participation is not necessarily how to take on these massive issues, but it really should be the average that some people vote very well at H&P. That's how to solve problems. So it's like a nature to me. And remind people that quite frankly, you can start with the streets, with your own streets, because I think I've said this many times that other people ask me that same question. If you could change a street, if you could change a street, if you could change a street, if you could change a street, if you might change a neighborhood, and if you could change that neighborhood and that neighborhood, if you might change an entire part of the city, and then you might change the city, you might change the state. So I think one of the first reminders to everyone is that your vote affects your own street first. And that getting participation in civic isn't about being afraid of the fact that your little drop of water is not gonna change something. You can if you think about the fact that that part that does cause resistance is right where you live. And so I do want the big stake away from today to be that our responsibility in engaging and people to vote should really start with reminding them that incremental, incremental change is just as powerful as massive change at once. And I think that's probably the biggest message that I'm gonna give away. All right, well thank you ladies so much