12-18-2013, 05:32 AM
Epic story vision! Thank you so much for sharing it. In comparison to you and the lady in the OP's linked article, I have lived a rather trouble free life. However, I am only a generation away from living in a much more destitute situation. My mother grew up in a coal mining village that was rated as the most impoverished village in Europe, a place where food was scarce, indoor plumbing was virtually unknown, and people were burdened with lots of offspring to feed due to the lack of birth control. For many of her peers, life has not been good and they are still drifting aimlessly on public assistance, unable to see the way out. Somehow my mum caught a glint of a way to get out of that world (perhaps a eureka moment such as the one you encountered with your UCLA connection), and she worked like a dog to take advantage of it. I am one of the lucky benefactors. It sounds as though the lady in the OP link has some desire and some drive to move forward, but the path to making a big move to free herself from the bonds of dependence is eluding her (no doubt due largely to her large flock of dependents). I wish her luck.