[cfgray]

Martha,

What a bold thing to do with your kids, and what a swell son and swell daughter you have.

It's is difficult to write about yourself, which is why so many celebs hire people to ghost their memoirs.

You have a very substantial writing talent, and if you free yourself from concerns about what others will think of you and what you have to say, you'll find that you will be so charged up about writing that you will want to be doing it all day and half the night.

In that regard it is a lot like painting... paint as you see fit, not to suit someone else's perspective. Even on commission, the people paying you probably gave you the commission because they liked your view, your perspective.

Your epic journey deserves honesty and that honesty will pay dividends, as it already has. Would you have told your kids about all that if this hadn't been prompted by your writing? Well, maybe, but your writing and thinking about your dear departed sister Nancy brought the issue to a head.

This is great stuff, Martha, and you handle it in a really top-notch fashion. Devote a few months to finishing this, YOUR story of YOUR journey, of YOUR adventure, and you'll have a published book.

Stories such as yours are rare. The underlying concern about embarrassment to your family is nothing to worry about, because you are one person, AAC CL, who would never say anything improper or overly harsh. Stay on this side of that fence... listen to your son and daughter, they have your best interest at heart.

Best,
cfgray