[Gemme]

I loved my mom and she did the best that she could, but most of her inadvertant lessons were trenched in what I shouldn't do or who I shouldn't be versus what to do and who to be and the like. So, while she did help mold me, it became more about how not to be like my mom than anything else. She was a very selfless person though and that is something I try to keep in mind as I make my way through the world.

The women that helped mold me the most were my best friend (though a child at the time) and her mother, my surrogate mother. As I grew up and out, my second husband's mother and I were close until her death.

A few years later, I found another site and met so many wonderful, beautiful femmes and they helped me define myself and to grow, not only as a femme, but as a human being. I've looked to them when I needed clarification, off and on, for years now and they've never steered me wrong. Arwen, Bit, Diva, and Laura (until her passing a few years ago) have been exceptionally important to me and my growth.