Dr. Kristen Eddy, Clinical Psychologist<\/p>\n
As we age, we look back on our years and, hopefully, feel a sense of pride at the things we\u2019ve done. Erikson\u2019s ultimate stage of Psychosocial development, integrity vs despair, describes this look back on either a life well-lived (integrity) or years of regrets and lost opportunities (despair.) Helping the patients in my care to ease the sting of life-regrets and realize a sense of self pride and accomplishment has proven to be a powerful tool.<\/p>\n
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As I establish a therapeutic relationship with my elderly patients, I love to ask them, \u201cwhat, in your life, are you the most proud of?\u201d Usually I hear \u201cmy children;\u201d \u201cmy family;\u201d \u201cmy work.\u201d So imagine my shock and surprise when, interviewing this quiet, reserved, diminutive, no-fuss-or-fanfare, 99 \u00bd year old woman, I heard, \u201cI was a Rosie the Riveter during The War.\u201d<\/p>\n
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As a big WWII history geek, I know very well about the pivotal role this group of women played, not just in the war effort but in irrevocably changing the way women were seen. As I made my own way through nearly 3 decades of education, it was always at the forefront of my mind that my equal access to that very education and ultimately, employment, was earned on the backs of the women who came before me. Sitting with her, I was filled with an overwhelming sense of awe and gratitude, staring at the very back I\u2019d stepped on to transcend the glass ceiling myself. It was because of her and her sorority of women \u2013 the very females who cracked that glass ceiling, climbed through, and put a ladder down for the rest of us girls \u2013 that I have the amazing life I have today.<\/p>\n
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I had to find a way to thank this woman (with whom I share a name) to show her what her courage, her strength, her accomplishment meant to me and millions of other women. On Wednesday August 2, 2023, I got the chance to do just that. Along with the help of Mimi, Ari, Pen, Lawrence, and the awesome team at Pasadena Meadows, we welcomed Congresswoman Judy Chu as she awarded Mrs. Virginia Bellemeur the 2023 Congressional<\/p>\n
Lifetime Achievement Award. Watching this quiet little woman come to life in front of the camera, joking with the Congresswoman and telling her unique story of her incredible work, I knew without a doubt that for her, there was only a sense of great pride and integrity \u2013 no despair. I checked in on her later that evening, as she sat there on her bed, shoulders still draped with the silk, red-white-and-blue scarf her granddaughter gifted her for the occasion, smiling and reminiscing on the day. \u201cYou know, 80 years ago, when all this started, no one thought women were of any use outside the home. We sure changed that.\u201d<\/p>\n
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As she tried to thank me for my efforts in arranging the day\u2019s events, I reminded her once again: \u201cI had to find a way to thank you.\u201d To my delight, she responded: \u201cWell, kid, mission accomplished.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Dr. Kristen Eddy, Clinical Psychologist As we age, we look back on our years and, hopefully, feel a sense of pride at the things we\u2019ve done. Erikson\u2019s ultimate stage of Psychosocial development, integrity vs despair, describes this look back on either a life well-lived (integrity) or years of regrets and lost opportunities (despair.) Helping the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4610,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n