I'm sorry I'm just getting around to commenting now--although we did have a private dialogue. You know how I feel--and I'm so glad to read in the comments that this is just a small part/summary of a larger piece of work you are writing. When I first read this it froze me in my tracks, so to speak. I love everything about it--your voice, your emotion, your style, your turn of phrase. It is beautiful, yet sad. It is nostalgic, yet so very real. It is painful, yet part of what brings humor to your soul. It is the perfect example of why I thought this would be a great exercise at The Memoirist. It doesn't have to take many words to convey an important story, complete with all the emotions a memoir should have. xo