Afterword

A few words on depression and mental health—

I flirted with counseling and therapy as a young adult, but didn’t become serious until 30 years after 1979, when my father died. Within a year of his death, I found myself regularly talking with a mental health professional. I had tried to pack away too many emotional scars. There simply was no more room to put things. It was time to unpack, to sort things out, and to begin healing.

The process was slow. I’m still a work in progress, but I have more knowledge and tools as I move forward.

Trauma comes in many forms, as we all experience life in different shades of joy and pain. These were some of mine. No more, no less. Just brief moments in my time.

A few words on mothers—

I have been lucky to have had many mothers step in over the years. Aunt, family, and others that volunteered, many more that I secretly adopted… from secretaries at my work, teachers in schools, pharmacists and their mom, and many more that go unnamed… yet the one above all, is Miss Paula Jean.

If you made it this far, much thanks indeed.
BG