I'm grateful for:

• Twenty-plus years of memories.
  
  
• A family friend who 'broke the rules' and told me things my mother swore her to secrecy until my mom's passing.
  
  
• The fact I have a half-sister out there who may have more memories of my father.
  
  
• Having a chance to say goodbye to a place I never realized was the closest I had to a 'home.'
  
  
• Still having a mostly-lucid mother.
  
  
• A close friend in San Francisco to keep me sane and listen to me blather on.
  
  
• Understanding friends online to support and help me through this.