I Compromised My Ability To Tell My

I Believe Every One Of Us Possesses A Fundamental Right To Tell Our Own Story.

The Portrait Of My Parents Is A Complicated One, But Lovingly Drawn.

The Real Drug, I Came To Believe, Was Love.

When I Was 12 Years Old, I Read Nancy Drew Mysteries And Biographies Of Madame Curie And Florence Nightingale And Books About Girls Who Love Horses Or Go To Nursing School. I Belonged To The Girl Scouts And Got A's In School And Rarely Disobeyed My Parents. I Still Kept A Collection Of Barbie Dolls In My Room, And I Almost Never Spoke To Boys.

For A Parent, It's Hard To Recognize The Significance Of Your Work When You're Immersed In The Mundane Details. Few Of Us, As We Run The Bath Water Or Spread The Peanut Butter On The Bread, Proclaim Proudly, "i'm Making My Contribution To The Future Of The Planet." But With The Exception Of Global Hunger, Few Jobs In The World Of Paychecks And Promotions Compare In Significance To The Job Of Parent.