Mia and Maura
Inspiration manifests in all kinds of ways
When our new governor Maura Healey showed up at the Family Table Collaborative in South Yarmouth to demonstrate that she understands how serious food insecurity is in wealthy Massachusetts – and that Cape Cod is part of the Commonwealth – I joined a throng of well-wishers while Mia pitched in packaging lasagna to go.
Mia came to us from Haiti when she was 10 years old, half her lifetime ago. I call her my daughter because that’s how I think of her, along with her sister who came at the same time. They hail from a remote village called Matenwa, where believe me, people understand what food insecurity means.
I first met Maura soon after Mia arrived, 2013 or early 2014, that being a total coincidence. Healey was running for attorney general, willing to take on a member of the powerful Tolman family in a primary. Joining Cape and Islands State Senator Dan Wolf (I was his chief of staff and then senior adviser), we convened at an Irish watering hole near the State House.
Four of us sat around a small table, talking a big circle around policy, priorities, personalities, politics. When we parted Dan turned to me on the walk back to the Hill and said, “I have to support her.” I answered, “Of course you do,” and he became the first Senator to do so.
Our paths have crossed in the years since, and she always is gracious enough to recognize me, say a kind word, but we are in no way close. I am one of many, many people Governor Healey sees now and then, nothing deeper than that.
Even so, I had an ulterior motive introducing her to Mia: hoping I could take a picture of them together.
You see, Mia is short. For all her amazing accomplishments in the last 10 years, the only way she hasn’t grown in leaps and bounds is height. She is beautiful, perfect, but remains just a little over five feet, and there have been times when she bemoans that, wishes she were statuesque, thinks that being short might be an inhibition or barrier.
I didn’t say anything about Governor Healey’s height. I did mention that Maura had been captain and point guard for Harvard University’s women’s basketball team, played professionally in Europe before becoming an attorney, attorney general, and now governor.
Nor did I say anything about other similarities I know they share; neither born of privilege, both facing family challenges early in life, each in her own way having come so far and accomplished so much by dint of intelligence and hard work.
The introduction was made, the new governor welcomed a photo. I did the honors. And what I hoped for turned out to be true:
They’re the same height.
Among many reasons why Maura Healey is inspirational, this of course is not high on the list; her physical stature is not an accomplishment or decision. But it is part of her example, and surely made one wonderful young woman smile and feel a little more comfortable in this big old world.
The Dalai Lama once leaned over and whispered to me, “Us bald guys have to stick together.” Meeting the Dalai Lama with Bill Delahunt
Short people do too.
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Massachusetts has a great governor! Sparks a thought about how another governor from Florida interacts with people who don't meet his "only be seen with right wing white people" standard. He'd have snatched MIa and stuck her on a plane out of the country.
Lovely. Glad you were able to connect these two people Seth. Nothing short of genius!