Continued from the previous post.

Mom had been none too pleased by my unfortunate and unplanned pregnancy at the ripe young age of all of 17 ... see the series on "The Girls Who Went Away" for all the gory details ... and worried more than a bit, I'm sure, when I had my second child just 18 months later.

By the time I was divorced, my mom was in her early 40s, still with kids at home. My youngest brother was 13-ish at the time, and my 14-year-old twin stepsisters lived with her as well. She also worked full time as a hospital administrator, work that involved long hours, full effort and occasionally demanded travel. Although I lived near by and spent time with my kids at her house, full-time care of two little ones would be an added burden.

Not only did Mom step up with money and take my kids in, she also bought me a car ... nothing new or fancy, but reliable enough ... so I'd be able to get around in the city, and come home some weekends. (Turns out the car wasn't quite reliable enough to allow that very often, though.)

So, I learned to be a dental assistant. Three months after I left, I was back and working for two dentists ... one full-time days and the other a couple of nights a week assisting on complicated surgical procedures ... supporting my family, putting a little money away, planning a future for myself and my kids.

Do I need to say one thing led to another, and that that single step in the right direction started me down a path that has taken me in some amazing directions, allowed me to raise my first two kids ... both now wonderful adults, each happy and successful in their own way ... and now provide for my second batch? (If so, I just did.)

I am well aware of where I could have ended up had I not had the opportunities and gifts I have been lucky enough to claim, and there is no shortage of reminders of to how dire a destination other journeys may lead. Had I ended up learning to rely on government assistance, my grown kids could very well find themselves doing the same now, and Sam and Cj would most certainly not be Sam and Cj, but rather two abandoned children in a Cambodian orphanage.

Ripples are significant.

So, to grandparents out there raising grandchildren in the short term: This can turn out extraordinarily well.

To those finding their lot lifelong: We do what we must.

To my mom: Thanks again. I couldn't have done it without you.

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