1/X My mother died 12 years ago, at 82. Her parents divorced in the 30's when that was very unusual, then her mother died of TB when she was 11, and she and her older sister were dumped by their father with his very mean mother in Norwich, CT.

2/X Their grandmother used to take their babysitting money and not let them use it to buy "sanitary pads." Then she sold the house and went to an SRO, leaving my mother and her sister to couch surf.

3/X Their father, with a great job in Pittsburgh with Bechtel (he was "Lace curtain Irish" with an accounting degree), allowed my mother to finish HS there, and live with his new wife and daughter. Which she did, and hated it

4/X She moved back to CT to help her sister, who'd had twins. And one of those twins died of SIDS. This was the 40's. My father lived across the street. They were both young, gorgeous, and that's what happens. It's nature

5/X The man she married, who was a hard worker, turned out to be a bipolar and bisexual. But she hung in there, and raised 3 boys. One died of a drug overdose in his early 20's. Still, she soldiered on

6/X But the real point of this thread is that she had a great sense of justice, and fairness. And at 61 yo, I now see that this has been the driving force of my life and career. And, for all the grief that has caused me, it has given my life meaning, and I am grateful for it