A hearty congratulations to you for not only enduring but overcoming all obstacles in your way. To your lovely daughter, I do not have words to express my admiration for her achievements which, by the way, will seem like nothing four years from now when she graduates college.
You have been a great example to her. Your actions tell her not only to never give up but that if there are obstacles in her way to sweep them away with the morning trash that accumulated on the sidewalk.
By the way, my family didn't have a car until I was a high school grad and it didn't hurt my life. It made me understand that there were priorities that were far more important when you were poor like we were. I learned that cars are transportation and that self-worth has power but it isn't horsepower. You can't get self-esteem from a Porsche!
You have seen here on TBD how some women stick to abusive men regardless of the effect on their children. I mean, if a woman prefers to be a human punching bag and abuse collector, that is her right as a free and supposedly sane individual but she is not free to subject innocent children to that and often worse abuse from some creep just because she married him and lives in some fairy tale dream that she will cure him of being a jerk, a slob, a drunk, a moron or whatever else he did to himself on his road to hell.
You and your daughter are worthy of lots of kudos and I don't mean the TBD vote kind. Your daughter needs to understand that she is as much a hero as you are. She could have taken the low road and used the fact that you worked all the time as her excuse. Instead she stuck to her plan and will soon be in college where she can begin to fulfill her own life dreams.
When she is gone, you can begin to fulfill yours. Think about getting education yourself. Look into scholarships and grants. Anyone who could do what you did is strong enough to break a few barriers and get some help for this worthy project. Education makes you more able to deal with the economic bad times. Degrees don't make you smarter or more knowing. They are simply a ticket to ride and you can't get in a lot of doors without them.
Do keep us informed as you move on to the next steps in your life. You already paid your dues for two rides so now you are entitled to do whatever you want to do to enhance your own life. You have gotten your daughter well on her way.
God bless, and again, congratulations.
Lollipops and unicorns
Milt
